


The Sky and his Sun

by Adriana_Espan



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arcobaleno Sawada Tsunayoshi, Everyone Loves Tsuna, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-05-12 18:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 50,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5675380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adriana_Espan/pseuds/Adriana_Espan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where Tsuna is the Sky Arcobaleno, and sky arcobalenos look like teenagers who don't age or die. He is not the Vongola Decimo. The question is, if Tsuna and Reborn were together in the past, why did they decide to part ways after becoming Arcobalenos? R27/slight All27. AU. Follows canon's plot but will skip the parts that are deemed as unnecessary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm importing this story from ff.net to here. First time posting on ao3 and is currently quite confused. Haha. 
> 
> Prepare for the OC, but I swear Tsuna will be the main character, sort of. Tsuna will be like TYL!Tsuna, or even HDW!Tsuna, i.e. wise and mature Tsuna. The OC… just pretend it's the canon Tsuna. Hey I even based his name on Tsuna's. I personally hate OCs myself so I would understand the pain.  
> Warning: Time skips in future chapters  
> Disclaimer: Don't own KHR.

Name: Sawada Ietsuna, otherwise known as Ietsu  
Nickname: Dame-Ietsu  
Age: 14  
Gender: Male  
Title: Vongola Decimo  
Parents: Sawada Iemitsu and Sawada Nana.  
Occupation: Student  
Flame Type: Sky  
Appearance: Totally average appearance, with messy blond hair and brown eyes.  
Remarks: Cowardly and useless, but has the potential to become Vongola Decimo. Often bullied, grades are the last in school. He is a nice and kind person though. _(Similar to canon Tsuna)_

* * *

"Mum, I'm home!" Said Ietsuna as he walked into the house.

"Welcome home, Ie-kun! Oh look, I got a tutor for you! I received a flyer in the mailbox and called him! He's coming today! The flyer said, 'I will raise your child to become the leader of the next generation. I am young and good-looking.' And the best part? It's completely free as long as he has a place to sleep and a meal! How great is that!" Ietsuna watched as his mother babbled on, mouth hanging open.

"What? Why? I don't need a tutor! And it totally sounds like a scam!"

"Sawada Ietsuna, who scored 0 in Math…" Nana said as she waved Ietsuna's test papers in his face.

"What? Mum! How did you know? Where did you get that from!" Ietsuna shouted as he tried to grab for the paper, face red from embarrassment.

"I found it in your drawer today. Now, no buts. Everyone knows that you need a home tutor."

"Mum... -" Ietsu desperately tried to get his mother to change her mind, only to be interrupted by the door bell.

"It must be your tutor! Go get the door, Ie-kun."

Ietsu groaned in frustration as he walked towards the door. As he opened the door, he heard a "Ciaossu!" and without a warning, something landed on his head.

Ietsu lost his balance and fell to the floor, raising his hand to see what was on his head. "Ouch! What-"

Reborn interrupted him once more to introduce himself. "So you are Ietsu? I am Reborn, your new home tutor! Starting from today I'll be looking after you."

"You? You are my tutor? Are you kidding me? Mum! You've been scammed!" Ietsu screamed. Nana just smiled.

Reborn kicked him on his head. "Hieeee!" Ietsu shrieked. Reborn only rolled his eyes at the high-pitched shriek, thinking, _First, we must get rid of that horrid high-pitched shriek. No mafia boss shrieks like that, for god's sake._ He pulled his fedora down and gave a smirk. Now the training shall begin.

"Ie-kun, bring him up your room. "

"Mum!" Ietsu protested, but Nana paid no heed to him and walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Ietsu sighed as he walked up to his room, tripping twice on the way. "So clumsy, Dame-Ietsu." Reborn remarked. "What! How did you know my nickname?" Ietsu turned around to face Reborn, only to trip once more.

"Tsk." Reborn frowned at his clumsiness. _Well, it's a bit worse than expected, isn't it? When they say useless… No one can be this useless and clumsy, right? Looks like we got work to do._ "Gathering information is a basic skill, Ietsu."

Ietsu looked like he was going to rebut him but they had reached their room. "This is my room." Ietsu opened the door.

Reborn surveyed the surroundings, and went to sit down on the bed like he owned the place.

"Hey, that's my-"

"Actually, I am the world's greatest hitman."

"-bed..."

Ietsu was going to continue what he was saying, until what the baby said registered in his head. "What? Hahahaha don't make me laugh! You?" Ietsu just laughed in… disbelief.

A green gun glinted in his hand, his customary smirk on his face. He would show him who's boss in the following days.

"And I'm here to train you to become a mafia boss." A bullet shot past Ietsu's head, missing him only by a few millimetres.

"HHHIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" A loud, ear-piercing scream was heard throughout the neighbourhood.

* * *

Name: Reborn  
Age: Unknown  
Gender: Male  
Title: Sun Arcobaleno, World's Greatest Hitman  
Occupation: Hitman, Tutor  
Flame type: Sun  
Appearance: Looks like a baby, with black eyes and spiky black hair, with his trademark curly sideburns and fedora.  
Remarks: Not known for the world's greatest hitman for nothing, he is extremely powerful and his loyalty lies with the Vongola. One of the seven strongest babies on earth and even rumoured to be the strongest Arcobaleno, although no one knows if it is really true. He is also known to be cold, unforgiving and detached, and have few close and trustable friends.

* * *

Reborn watched as Ietsuna desperately tried to finish his math homework while being held at gunpoint. Perspiration was seen dripping down from his forehead and his hand was obviously shaking out of fear.

Reborn just had a smirk on his face as he watched his student suffer.

"Say, Dame-Ietsu, how well do you know Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Hmm? Sawada-san?" Ietsu looked up. He was clearly glad to have something to distract him from his homework. "Well… I'm not very close to him, and he's not very close to anyone either. In fact, he's pretty invisible most of the times and very… average."

Something hit his head, hard. When did Leon change to a slipper, of all things? Ietsuna just wanted to scream and pull out his hair in frustration. "At least average is better than being useless. By the way, I don’t recall asking you to stop doing your homework."

Ietsuna wanted to protest but Reborn had already jumped onto his bed and sat down. He sighed and continued trying to solve the math problem that was ever so confusing.

Reborn pulled down his fedora so that Ietsuna would not see him frowning. He seemed to be contemplating something, with a thoughtful look on his face. When Ietsuna next turned to sneak a peek at him, however, the look was gone in an instant and his usual sadistic-Spartan-tutor-from-hell-smirk was back into place.

"Stop staring at me and do your homework, Dame-Ietsu, before I put a bullet right through your head." He felt a sense of satisfaction and sardonic pleasure as he saw Ietsuna gulped in fear, before he laid down on the bed. "I'm sleeping. Don't make any noises or I'll…" Reborn paused in mid-sentence and a bubble came out of his nose.

 _Did he just fall asleep like that!_ Ietsuna thought as he stared at Reborn, astonished. _He's so weird and scary! My life… why…_

* * *

Before Reborn had went to Ietsuna's house and met Ietsuna, he had done an extensive research on all the backgrounds of the students in Namimori Middle School, to see which students were suitable candidates to join the Vongola famiglia. Well, as a hitman, gathering information was a basic skill. Furthermore, knowledge is power, and in the world of dangerous mafia, knowledge can make or break you.

He had managed to obtain the students' records from the principal, while cosplaying as Professor Borin. A very useful disguise, yes.

Most students were too ordinary to be in Ietsu's famiglia, but a few did catch his eyes.

 _Yamamoto Takeshi,_ son of the famous but retired hitman Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, talented at baseball with extremely good reflexes. Reborn would bet that he would be a natural born hitman, given his genes and instincts and reflexes from all the information he can see.

 _Hibari Kyoya,_ Namimori Middle Disciplinary Committee Leader, was said to be extremely strong, cruel and aloof. Basically everyone in Namimori had heard of his name and fear him. Pretty admirable for a fifteen-year-old, thought Reborn. Definitely a great candidate as a guardian of Ietsu's.

 _Sasagawa Ryohei,_ Namimori Boxing Club Leader, was an excellent boxer who possesses great strength, and not to forget extremely passionate, according to sources. Way too passionate, most would say. Nevertheless, he was worth considering, with his extremeness.

And last but not least…

_Sawada Tsunayoshi._

Reborn's eyes widened a fraction. His hands nearly shook and dropped the record, but years of practice as a hitman prevented that.

A normal boy with average grades, average physical fitness, average looks, average social skills. Average, average and average. Everything about him was average, and not a thing about him was abnormal. If Reborn were anyone else he would have overlooked his profile like how he did for the other students, but he didn't.

_Teachers' remarks: Sawada-san is a very polite, kind and nice student. Puts in effort in his work and hands in his work on time, very responsible. However, he does not interact much with other students, and only talk when necessary. Hope to see him to become more sociable as he is a very likeable student._

That was all. One word to describe him was, simple.

Reborn's eyes strayed to the photo at the top right hand corner of the paper. Brown eyes, spiky brown hair, and somehow he bore a resemblance to the Vongola Decimo candidate.

_He hadn't changed at all, even after so many years._

Reborn let out an uncharacteristic sigh. He knew many things, but Tsuna was one of those things – perhaps even the only one – which Reborn could never understand or for that matter, fathom what he was thinking.

Reborn frowned. _Tsuna, what are you doing here?_

* * *

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi  
Age: Unknown, appears to be around 14 to 15, even passable for 18.  
Gender: Male  
Title: Sky Arcobaleno  
Occupation: Unknown  
Flame Type: Sky  
Appearance: Striking resemblance to Ietsu, even having the same surname. They are related, after all. Brown hair that stands up everywhere, and brown eyes that always hold a blank look.  
Remarks: Based on TYL Tsuna.

* * *

"Ietsu. Get up. Ietsu. _Ietsu._ " Reborn nudged Ietsuna but the latter just made a noise and continued to sleep.

"I have no choice then. I'll have to use Vongola family's traditional awakening methods." As soon as he said that, he took out defibrillators and prepared to shock Ietsuna awake.

"Three… Two… One…" On cue, Ietsu bolted up from his bed screaming. There was smoke coming out from his hair.

"You're awake." Reborn said as he gave an innocent smile, as if he hadn't just shocked a person.

"Do you normally send electric shocks through someone's body just to wake them up?" Ietsuna exclaimed.

"It's a good thing you even opened your eyes. Some people don't even wake up at all."

 _That's because they die of shock…_ Ietsuna was rendered speechless.

"Hurry up and get up, Dame-Ietsu, before you are late for school."

"School? School! Hieee! Oh my god I'm going to be late!" Ietsuna shrieked as he ran out of his room.

"You still have much to learn, Dame-Ietsu."

* * *

"Hello, Kyoya." Tsuna greeted as he walked through the door to the rooftop. It was lunchtime, and Tsuna brought his bento to eat at his usual place, the rooftop of Namimori Middle School, along with the Demon of Namimori, Hibari Kyoya.

They were an odd pair, really, but Hibari claimed to only tolerate the 'omnivore', and grudgingly share his private rooftop with Tsuna only because Tsuna kept bugging him. Tsuna, on the other hand, liked the peace and quiet of the rooftop and somehow managed to make Hibari allow him to crowd on the rooftop (through a fight, probably).

Hibari was lying down on the floor, hands supporting his head. He didn’t deem it necessary to give Tsuna a reply.

Tsuna just smiled, already used to Hibari's antisocial behaviour. He sat down on a spot one metre away from Hibari as he was not in a mood to fight Hibari now.

"Hmm… Looks like we have a guest today. Did you not feel his presence?" Tsuna said as he opened his bento, putting a piece of sushi in his mouth.

Hibari sat up, alarmed. "An intruder?" He must be very strong then, for Hibari not to sense his presence. The thought made Hibari's blood heat up in anticipation.

"More like an old friend, really. And please don't think about fighting him, you have no chance of winning."

Trust Tsuna to make matters worse by making Hibari more excited. The latter always loved a challenge.

Tsuna turned his gaze to a specific spot of the wall, and watched calmly as something moved. "Nice to see you again, Reborn. Your camouflage skills have improved over the years."

The 'piece of wall' turned around to reveal a small face.

"Thank you. It's been a long time, hasn't it? How many years have it been since…" Reborn trailed off. "No matter. Tsuna, I didn’t expect to see you here, in Namimori of all places. You, on the other hand, don't seem that surprised to see me here."

"I know things, Reborn… and most of all, I know you." Tsuna replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "You are here to train the Vongola Decimo, right? Time really flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's Vongola's tenth generation already. Well, all I have to say about this is that if it was many years ago, I would have gone into shock knowing you have become a tutor."

"I'm sure you can imagine me being a Spartan tutor from hell," Reborn smirked. Then his expression turned serious as he wiped the smirk off his face. "Let's go back to the matter at hand. We need to talk, Tsuna. Preferably alone." He turned his attention to Hibari, who had been accessing the newcomer all along and his tonfas held out.

"Ah. Kyoya, isn't it time for your patrol? It wouldn't do for you to be behind schedule, right?" _I'll deal with him_ , Tsuna assured him silently.

"Hn. I will bite you to death later, omnivore." With that, Hibari left, with his jacket flowing after him. Throughout the whole confrontation, Tsuna's smile never wavered.

"How have you been, Reborn? Good?" There was a flash of melancholy in Tsuna's eyes, before it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"… Why are you here, Tsuna?"

Tsuna laughed. "Does it matter, why I am here? We haven't met for years and that is the thing you are most concerned about? Why, I'm feeling quite heartbroken at the moment. Anyway, I've travelled to many places, perhaps I just want to settle down at a quiet town like Namimori and lead a peaceful life."

"Tsuna, you never 'settle down'. Sawada Ietsuna is a candidate for Vongola Decimo, and you, as the Sky Arcobaleno… There is no such thing as coincidence, at least not like this. Does this concern the Tri-Ni-Sette? Is something happening?"

Tsuna shook his head. "There's nothing to worry about, Reborn."

"Then why—"

Tsuna looked away to avoid Reborn's burning gaze. "To tell you the truth, I had a vision."

Reborn looked up in alarm. "What? And you say there is nothing to worry about?"

Tsuna sighed. "Like I said, I don't think it’s anything bad. Trust me. A dream… A vision brought me here. I dreamt of this place, not knowing why, so I came. I think something is going happen. Something big. Nevertheless, don't worry yourself out, it's not good for your health."

Reborn pulled his fedora down. "Something big, huh."

"So I'll be staying at Namimori for a while. I bet it'll be fun to be a normal student for once." Tsuna smiled. "I guess I'm stuck with you for the time being then."

Before Reborn could reply, he saw Tsuna's eyes turn serious for the first time since the start of the conversation, darkening slightly.

"Maybe it's fate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: Reborn's pacifier didn't glow because Tsuna uses Mammon's chains to hide his identity. The interaction between Tsuna and Reborn would be different because they met before they were Arcobaleno and they were together for a while. And Tsuna was his boss for very long so I guess they are equal and Reborn wouldn't treat him like how he did in canon. Tsuna is deliberately OOC. 
> 
> I've posted until chapter 12 on ff.net, can go there to read if you want :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sooo confused omo when I couldn't find the Add Chapter button. I'm such a noob... Even though I did research in Biocomputing before? Still a noob DD: I'm actually cringing at this cause I wrote this so long ago and I want to cry QAQ
> 
> A/N: I promised that I would update soon right? I'm finally here. Sorry, had an awful writer's block earlier because I totally forgot how I was going to characterize Tsuna and Reborn and how their relationship would be like. I thought of this story a long time ago and the inspiration disappeared. But never mind, I got it back after much thinking.  
> I tried. I suspect I might have typos that confuse Ietsu and Tsuna…  
> The story follows both manga and anime. Disclaimer: Don't own KHR.  
> Note: Ietsu's full name is Sawada Ietsuna, and Ietsu is just a short form of Ietsuna, like how Tsuna is short for Tsunayoshi. I borrowed it from canon Tsuna's granddad.  
> Tsuna's age is unknown for the time being. He's a few years younger than Reborn, and since we don't know Reborn's age canonically, Tsuna does not have an exact age either.

**Setting: Daily life arc (Part I: Introduction)**

* * *

**Dying Will Bullet**

"Oh my god! I'm going to be late!" Ietsuna cried as he ran out of his house in a rush, a bread hanging in between his teeth.

"Reborn! Why are you here?" Ietsu looked to Reborn who suddenly appeared and was walking beside him.

"I'm your tutor, Ietsu, I'm supposed to track your progress." Reborn replied nonchalantly.

Ietsu rolled his eyes, still unable to believe the whole mafia-tutor thing. When he looked up, he saw a boy walking in front of him and blinked. "Eh? Isn't that Sawada-san? He lives nearby? …Oh right! He does live near me!" _But I seldom see him though, probably because I'm always late!_

"Hmm?" The said boy walking in front of him stopped and turned around. "Oh, good morning, Ietsuna-san, and hello to you too, Reborn."

"Ciaossu, Tsuna."

"Good morn- What? Sawada-san knows Reborn?" Ietsuna exclaimed in disbelief.

_What! Is Sawada-san involved in the mafia! What did you do, Reborn!_

Tsuna smiled, "Call me Tsuna, please, otherwise it can get a bit confusing. And yes, Reborn's an old friend of mine."

_Friend? Reborn has friends? Wait... Old friend? How old is Reborn anyway?_

"I assure you, Reborn is very old."

"HHHIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" Ietsu jerked back in shock. _This guy also knows how to read minds too? What's wrong with them? Creepy!_

"Stop shrieking like that, Dame-Ietsu. It's annoying." Reborn said as he hit Ietsu on the head.

"Ouch!"

Tsuna looked at the both of them and just laughed. "I missed this kind of days. So cheerful."

"Huh?" Ietsu tilted his head, puzzled at what Tsuna had just said.

Tsuna shook his head. "Nothing. Anyway, how is Reborn adapting to Japan?"

"Mama cooked really nice food for me." Was all Reborn said.

Tsuna chuckled. "I want to try it some–"

"Kyaaa! How cute!" Tsuna was cut off by Kyoko, who suddenly appeared and bent down in front of Reborn.

Reborn used his usual greeting. "Ciaossu."

"Where are you wearing a suit?" Kyoko asked.

"Because I'm in the mafia."

"Reborn!" Both Tsuna and Ietsu exclaimed indignantly.

Unexpectedly, Kyoko seemed unfazed, if not more excited. "Waaahhh! How cool!"

"Eh?" Ietsu didn’t react in time, while Tsuna was just beside him shaking his head, speechless.

"Well good luck. Bye!"

"Ciao ciao."

"Reborn attracts just as many girls as before." Tsuna said after Kyoko walked away.

"It's called Mafia Seduction, you know. Ietsu still has a long way to go."

"What?"

"You like her, don't you? Have you confessed?" Reborn asked.

"Wh– What? She's our school idol. It's useless… even if I confess."

"Tsk tsk. Such low self-esteem."

"Reborn! Stop teasing the poor boy already…" Tsuna finally interrupted, speaking up for Ietsu.

"It's finally time…" Reborn took out his gun. "Die."

And he shot Ietsu, right on the forehead.

"REBORN! Confess to Sasagawa Kyoko with my Dying Will!" Ietsu tore through his shirt and ran in the direction where Kyoko had gone, with an orange flame burning on his forehead.

Tsuna watched the bizarre show in front of him and blinked after a few seconds. "What… just happened?"

"Vongola's Dying Will bullets, of course." Reborn answered smugly.

"..."

"Don't give me that look."

Tsuna shook his head in exasperation. "Spartan tutor... Indeed... Now I know why you had accepted the job, you sadist. You do know that I didn't use this method to train my Dying Will Flames, right?"

"Of course, but this is the most suitable for him and also for the circumstances."

"If you say so..." Tsuna replied doubtfully. _I bet you just want to have some fun and entertainment..._

"Anyway, we should get to school soon, I'm going to be late." Tsuna said as he scooped Reborn from the ground and into his embrace. "Come on, I'll carry you there."

"Tsuna..." Reborn's eyes twitched, though it was barely noticeable.

"I'm sure it'll be faster this way." Tsuna snickered a bit, taking pleasure in annoying Reborn, as he started running to school.

* * *

**Gokudera Hayato**

" _BOOM!_ "

"HIEEEEE! Someone help me!" Ietsu literally screamed as he ran away from one Gokudera Hayato who was throwing bombs at him.

Ietsu suddenly tripped and fell in the middle of his run, unable to escape a lone lit bomb. "HELP! I don't want to die yet!" Ietsu covered his head in an pitiable attempt to protect himself from the bomb.

"Whoosh!" A stone flew by and managed to extinguish the flame on the bomb, rendering it harmless.

After a few seconds, Ietsu looked up when nothing happened and there was no explosion. "Eh?"

The bomb was no longer in the air. Instead, it had dropped onto the ground, extinguished, with the stone not far away.

"What… HIIIIEEEE! Stop throwing bombs at me!" Ietsu couldn't celebrate his narrow escape from death, for Gokudera did not stop throwing bombs at him and he had to pick himself up and continue to run.

"Tsuna. Your throwing skills got even better." Reborn looked at the stone lying next to the extinguished bomb.

"If I hadn't stepped in…" Tsuna sighed. "I know this is training and I shouldn't interfere, but aren't you being too harsh on that poor kid? He just knew about the mafia for like… how long? Two days? You can't exactly kill off the Vongola Decimo accidentally."

"Have some faith in Ietsu, Tsuna. If he can't deal with this, he can't be the Vongola Decimo." Reborn replied as he raised his gun. "Prepare to die now, Dame-Ietsu." He pressed the trigger.

"REBORN! I will put out the fuses with my dying will!"

Tsuna watched as Ietsu ran around in boxers while extinguishing the fuses. "I've got to wonder though, why don't people wear their clothes after they got shot with the Dying Will bullet? Was the person who made them a pervert?"

"Clothes are a form of restriction too. It's best if they don't get in the way."

"… Oh well, I'll be glad that it's not me." _Yeah you should be, Tsuna. In an alternate universe, it's you._

Tsuna smiled. "But I daresay I won't be bored for a very, very long while… Even though it's kind of mean to be entertained by other people's suffering."

"Human beings always do that, subconsciously or not."

Silence descended between them, except for the shouts of Gokudera and Ietsu and the sound of explosions. Tsuna broke the silence. "I missed you, Reborn, but you've changed. You've become more childish."

"I'm an _infant,_ Tsuna. Obviously I should take advantage of that and act like one, right? Anyway, I can get away with it, so it's fine."

"Are you enjoying yourself then, in these past few years?"

"As much as one can in an infant's body."

Tsuna just chuckled, looking up only when the explosions stopped."Well, looks like they stopped fighting. Oh my, is Gokudera kneeling?"

"Well, Ietsu just acquired a new, loyal guardian."

"Your methods are really doubtful, but I guess they work."

"Of course. After all, I'm the world's greatest hitman."

As Tsuna and Reborn walked closer to the pair, they could hear Gokudera proclaiming his loyalty. "Tenth! Let me follow you forever!"

Ietsu looked at the kneeling Gokudera and panicked. "Hiieee! What are you doing, Gokudera-kun?"

"Having the loser serve under the winner is a family rule." Reborn butted in.

"EH? I don't need any subordinates! We can just be normal friends, right?" Ietsu turned to look at Gokudera with hopeful eyes.

Gokudera glared intimidatingly (out of habit, or he just had a very scary face). "Absolutely not!"

"Eep!" Ietsu jumped and talked no more as he inched away slightly from Gokudera, too frightened to say anything.

Tsuna burst out laughing suddenly, and everyone turned their attention on him as they had momentarily forgotten about his presence. Tsuna shook his head. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. You guys are too cute."

Gokudera narrowed his eyes at Tsuna, his expression turning scarier than before, but Tsuna was absolutely unfazed. "Who are you calling cute, you tenth-look-alike? And don't disrespect the tenth!"

"Hah?" Tsuna's eyes widened. "Tenth-look-alike? Me?" _Excuse me, I'm much older than him! Shouldn't he be the 'Tsuna-look-alike'? Also, who was the one trying to kill him in the first place?_

In the end, Tsuna decided to keep his mouth shut, since he did not want to start a fight with Gokudera anytime soon.

"Who are you? Are you a spy? How can you throw with such precision? What's your intention of getting so close to Tenth?"

Tsuna raised his eyebrows. _He gets protective so fast. Still, he's really observant... I guess he does have the potential to become a Vongola guardian._ "I'm just an onlooker, and I mean Ietsu no harm. Well, at least I won't bomb him, I'm sure."

"He won't harm Ietsu, Gokudera." Reborn said for Tsuna, knowing that Gokudera will believe him to an extent.

"I should go then, see you tomorrow, everyone." Tsuna picked up his bag and waved the three of them goodbye.

Gokudera watched as Tsuna walked away, eyes still full of suspicion, simply because he could tell Tsuna was hiding things behind his smiling face. He was obviously powerful, yet he never showed it. There was so much more to Sawada Tsunayoshi than meets the eye. "Tch."

* * *

**Yamamoto Takeshi**

"Yamamoto is going to jump off the roof!"

"What? No way!" Ietsu shouted in distress.

As everyone ran out of class, Ietsu only stood there in shock. "You're not coming, Ietsu?" Tsuna asked. _After all, it's probably one of Reborn's plan, and it most likely concerns you._

"Yeah... I'm coming. I need to go toilet, so you can go first."

"If you say so. I'll go find Reborn then."

Tsuna ran to the roof, trying to get through the crowd of people who were all running towards the rooftop.

"Ciaossu, Tsuna."

Tsuna looked up and Reborn jumped to land on his head. "Hello. So what's your plan today?"

"Don't worry, no one is going to die. Not _today_."

"Alright, I won't do anything." He turned to watch Yamamoto, who was arguing with some of his classmates. "He's being stupid."

"Hmm, but that's how you acquire family."

"That fence... It's not going to hold right? Allow me to say something before Ietsu comes." Tsuna walked forward slightly, but still behind the crowd.

"Oi Yamamoto! Are you simply seeking attention? If you want to jump, then stop talking and jump! It's useless if you are not going to do anything. If you want to be a coward and give up on yourself, it's your own life and your own decision. Don't pull others into it." Although Tsuna was not that close to Yamamoto, his voice was loud enough to carry through the crowd and to Yamamoto.

Without waiting for his reply, Tsuna turned and walked out of the rooftop through the door.

The students were shocked about Tsuna's sudden outburst, since he was never one to be outspoken. Yamamoto was nearly rendered speechless by Tsuna's words, nearly. "I'm not seeking attention! I'm really going to jump!"

Before he could actually let go of the railing and jump, however, Ietsu came bursting through the entrance and managed to stop Yamamoto in time, by saying his heart-felt feelings that convinced the latter.

They had fallen down the building but Ietsu saved the both of them in the end, and everyone was thankfully safe and sound.

The rest, they said, was history, and Ietsu gained a new loyal family member.

* * *

_—At the end of that day_

"Hey Sawada!" Yamamoto called after Tsuna after school.

"Yamamoto-san?" Tsuna stopped walking and turned around.

"About today..."

Tsuna blinked and smiled apologetically. "Oh, I would like to say I'm sorry for saying such things. Please don't take them to heart, I didn't really mean what I had said." ... _To a certain extent, anyway._

"No, no, I was going to say that thank you for saying such things and trying to persuade me. I guess I'm really a coward, and nothing good comes out from my idiocy. " Yamamoto scratched his head and have his usual cheerful laugh.

Tsuna frowned. "I didn't think you were a coward. Stupid, yes, but not a coward. Even the bravest people make the stupidest mistakes sometimes." Tsuna tilted his head to look at Yamamoto and gave him a gentle smile. "And Yamamoto-san, if you don't want to laugh or smile, it's okay not to. I won't judge you."

Yamamoto stopped in his tracks. "Eh?"

"Excuse me for being a hypocrite, but I don't want the people around to force themselves to be cheerful. You don't make the people around you happier, you only strain yourself and make yourself sadder."

Tsuna admitted that he was a hypocrite because he also smiles and laughs even when the emotions are not from the bottom of his heart. In his defence, he had seen many things and it was hard not to become jaded after so many years in the mafia. Yamamoto, on the other hand, was too young to be faking cheerfulness.

_Furthermore, if you become Ietsu's guardian and part of the mafia, it will drive you crazy if you pretend to be cheerful all the time._

Come to think of it, Tsuna thought as he scanned through the list of people he knew in the mafia, those who act cheerful were all lunatics. Then again, everyone he knew were probably not sane to start with anyway.

Tsuna walked ahead of Yamamoto, who was still stoned on the sidewalk, not bothering to wait for him.

"Wait!" Yamamoto finally could move after a few seconds and ran after Tsuna who had already walked a distance in front of him.

When Yamamoto finally caught up with Tsuna, he asked, "Do you mind if I call you Tsuna?"

Tsuna nodded. "Sure. I'm not that particular about names anyway."

"Call me Takeshi. Yamamoto-san sounds like my dad."

Tsuna smiled. "Takeshi, then."

* * *

**Lambo Bovino**

It was a pretty normal day for Tsuna. He had just went to the supermarket to buy his groceries and was on the way home. Well, that was until he heard a loud _boom_ in the middle of his journey, followed by a scream that sounded suspiciously like Ietsu.

Tsuna looked around and realised that yes, he was pretty near Ietsu's house and given Reborn's Spartan methods, it wouldn't be a surprise if he use bombs to punish Ietsu when he answered questions wrongly.

Tsuna contemplated whether he should go drop by Ietsu's house, just out of curiosity (and Tsuna's secretly as sadistic as Reborn, but he would never admit it), and decided there was no harm in doing that. Furthermore, he was going to pass by Ietsu's house anyway.

On his way to Ietsu's house, there were many more explosions from its direction. After that, Tsuna thought it sounded like there were grenades involved too. _Since when did Reborn use grenades?_

Just as he was near the door of the Sawada household, he heard a cry from above followed by many explosions.

"Eh?" Tsuna looked up in surprise, only to see many grenades explode. What shocked him more was that there was a small figure that was falling to the ground from the impact of the explosion. It looked like a child. Tsuna didn't have any time to consider his next actions; he simply ran to catch it.

He managed to catch a boy who seemed like a 5-year-old and he was wearing a cow suit. He was covered in soot and ashes, but otherwise unharmed.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"To.. ler… ate…" The kid told himself. "Wahhh!" …Only to burst out crying the next second.

"Ah…" Tsuna was kind of at a loss when dealing with a crying child, really. _What should I do now? Oh dear. Does he stop crying after a while? Or do I need to do something?_

"Hey, don't cry. Do you want some candy?" Tsuna rummaged through his grocery bags and managed to dig out a packet of sweets he had just bought. "Here."

The child immediately stopped brawling and looked up with hopeful eyes, then hungrily took the sweet and ate it.

"I'm Tsuna. What's your name? Why are you here?"

"Lambo-sama is here to kill Reborn!"

"So your name is Lambo and you're here to… kill Reborn?!" _Is it even possible to kill Reborn?_

"Lambo's dream is to become the next boss of Bovino famiglia and make all humanity bow down to me! Bwahahaha!"

Tsuna sweatdropped. "That's a… really nice dream."

"But I have to defeat first-class hitman Reborn first!"

"Oh." That explained why he was thrown out of the Sawada household. "I'm sure you'll defeat him… one day…" Tsuna didn't even sound convinced himself, but Lambo was easy enough to fool.

"Come on, let's go in and settle this." Tsuna carried Lambo and rang the doorbell to Sawada house.

Nana was the one to open the door. "Oh, isn't that Reborn's friend?" She looked at Tsuna. "And who are you?"

Tsuna smiled with charisma. "I'm Ietsu and Reborn's friend, Tsuna. Nice to meet you, Sawada-san."

"My, my, Reborn has lots of friends, huh? Ietsu too! Come in!" Nana opened the door wider and let Tsuna and Lambo in. "Ie-kun! Reborn-kun! Your friend Tsuna is here!"

"Tsuna?" Ietsu ran down the stairs with Reborn. "What brings you here? Oh, right. Lambo."

"Yeah, I saw him falling out of your window and I caught him."

"You should have just let him die, Tsuna." Reborn said.

"Reborn!" Tsuna glared indignantly at him. "Anyway… I'm sure you have some purpose for him to come here."

"Hmph." Reborn didn't give Tsuna a reply.

"Reborn, prepare to die!" Lambo, energized from the sweets earlier, decided to attack Reborn again.

"Wait!" Tsuna watched as Lambo pulled out more grenades to throw at Reborn, knowing that Lambo would not be able to succeed.

Obviously, Lambo did not bother to heed Tsuna's advice and attacked. Leon shifted into a bat in Reborn's hand and hit the grenades along with Lambo.

"HIEEE!"

"What–!"

Tsuna reached out to grab Lambo on one hand, then put him down safely, while the other hand went to catch all the grenades and throw them out of the door, all before the grenades exploded.

After everything, Tsuna let out a sigh of relief, then glared at Reborn. "Are you trying to kill everyone here, Reborn? Seriously."

Reborn shrugged and replied innocently, "I knew you would do that, anyway."

"Still…" Tsuna bent down to talk to Lambo. "Are you okay, Lambo?"

Lambo latched onto Tsuna's leg tightly. "Tsuna-nii!"

Ietsu laughed. "Looks like you gained a new child, Tsuna."

Tsuna smiled in exasperation. "That's pretty unexpected. Come on, Lambo, I need to go home now, so can you please let go? I'll give you this packet of sweets if you want."

"Really?"

"Oi. Just let go of Tsuna already." Reborn sounded annoyed, and brutally kicked Lambo away from Tsuna.

"Reborn, be more gentle."

"Tch."

Tsuna just smiled at the scene in front of him, with Ietsu trying to console the crying Lambo, and Reborn standing there without caring what he had just done.

* * *

**Bianchi**

"Thank you for having us, Sawada-san." Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera greeted Nana as they went into Ietsu's house. Nana had asked Ietsu to invite his friends over for dinner, and Tsuna, who had always heard praises from Reborn about her cooking, decided to try the food himself. After all, he knew that Reborn was a picky eater and only eats the best quality food available.

"Welcome! And you can just call me Mama!" Nana gave the three a warm smile.

"Hello guys." Ietsu greeted.

"Tch. Why is the baseball idiot and the Tenth-look-alike here?"

Yamamoto smiled. "Maa, we are all friends here, right?"

Tsuna just nodded at Ietsu as greeting.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you, Reborn got a new tutor for me. You know, the woman who throws poisonous food? Turns out she was Reborn's fourth lover or something like that. Hah? Reborn sure likes to joke." Ietsu shook his head.

However, for a fleeting second, Ietsu thought Tsuna's expression changed before returning back to normal. _Strange_ , Ietsu blinked. _It almost looked like he was in pain._

Ietsu wanted to say something, but Bianchi came into the living room with Reborn in her arms.

"Sis…" Gokudera bit out, bending down in pain, and promptly fainted.

Ietsu ran to Gokudera's side immediately. "Gokudera? Gokudera? Oh my god are you okay?"

Yamamoto and Ietsu helped to lay Gokudera on the couch. "What did he mean by 'sis', Reborn? Bianchi is his sister?"

"Half sister, yes."

"… _What?_ " Ietsu cried out in shock.

* * *

_—During dinner_

Gokudera had gone home after explaining the situation, not wanting to see his sister more than necessary.

Ietsu would say that Gokudera was weird, but Tsuna was acting even weirder. Even Reborn seemed a bit more subdued. Yamamoto was the only one normal, as normal as he could be, anyway.

If anyone believed him, Ietsu would say that he could feel a tension around the table.

"Say 'ahh', Reborn." Ietsu's eyes nearly bulged out when Bianchi started to feed Reborn.

Reborn didn't say anything and opened his mouth obediently.

Ietsu looked around the table to see the reactions. He thought Tsuna's face turned even paler, if possible. It had been quite pale for the whole evening. Ietsu finally asked, voice filled with worry. "Tsuna, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell? You've been looking a bit pale."  

Everyone turned their attention to Tsuna. "Eh?" Tsuna looked up from his food. "Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Ietsu saw Reborn pulling down his fedora to cover up his face, and then he continued to eat.

After dinner, Yamamoto was staying for dessert, but Tsuna politely declined.

"Thank you so much for the dinner, Mama. It's quite late and I need to go back now." He smiled but Ietsu thought that it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Reborn just watched as Tsuna walked towards the exit. To other people, Tsuna seemed normal. To Reborn, however, Tsuna's smile was so strained that Reborn could feel a tug in his chest. Reborn knew him for many years – no, the years didn't matter, it was how well he knew him –, he could tell that Tsuna was clearly upset. For Ietsu to see through Tsuna's facade, it was probably due to his Hyper Intuition.

Then again, when did Tsuna give a real, happy smile that comes from the bottom of his heart since… a long time ago?

_I'm sorry, Tsuna._

As Tsuna walked out of the door, Tsuna smiled, a smile that was slightly tinged with sadness.

 _Why does it still hurt so much?_ Tsuna shook his head to clear his thoughts. _We aren't even together anymore._

* * *

_—Many years back, before they became Arcobaleno_

“Reborn, aren’t you popular.” Tsuna rested his chin on his hand as he watched yet another girl coming to talk to Reborn, obviously trying to get his attention and flirt with him.

The disco light was blinking harshly at the corner of their eyes, but on the whole it was pretty dark and hard to see Reborn’s expression from where Tsuna was. They were sitting at a slightly more secluded area to avoid the crowd, their drinks on the table. Tsuna had a _Paradise_ cocktail, while Reborn… had ordered an espresso, to which Tsuna’s eyebrows had nearly skyrocketed. Tsuna didn’t have much experience with this kind of things, but isn’t nightclub all about alcoholic drinks and dancing? Who comes to the nightclub and orders coffee? Never mind.

“Hmmm.” Reborn hummed as he smiled his deadly attractive smile as he tried to wave the girl away politely with his fantastic womanizer skills. Ah, is that an oxymoron? Where he was a womanizer and yet he was trying to get this girl away.

Tsuna took a closer look at the girl who was walking away, seeing her beautiful blond hair flowing down her back. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? You don’t want to dance with her?”

“Is she? I see a more beautiful person in front of me.” Reborn’s lips twitched upwards.

“Re– Reborn!” Tsuna spluttered, turning his head away so he wouldn’t have to look at Reborn’s teasing smile. He couldn’t believe that Reborn can say this kind of embarrassing things without even blushing or having any reactions.

“Are you perhaps… jealous?” Reborn smirked.

“Hah? Jealous? Why would I be? Not over such an egoistic hitman.”

“I didn’t know that you can get jealous. Or the fact that you’re so cute when you’re jealous. Maybe I should make you jealous more often?”

“You dare?” Tsuna glared challengingly at him. “I’ll shoot you first.”

Reborn laughed. “So you admit you’re jealous?”

“So what if I am?” Tsuna gave a slight pout. “How would you feel if dozens of girls are running their hands all over me?”

Reborn smirked evilly. “I would peel them off one by one and kill them all.”

Tsuna just stared. Was Reborn actually serious? That was a really possessive streak there. “That’s a bit… extreme.” More like, extremely extreme.

“Don’t you worry though, Tsuna,” Reborn reached out to brush Tsuna’s hair off his face. “There will only be you.”

“That’s what you say. For all I know, I might have fallen in love with a liar who lies without even batting an eye.” Tsuna paused to think for a few seconds. “Wait, you know what? I think I probably did.”

“Yeah, you probably did.” Reborn gave a chuckle. “But I would never lie to you.”

Tsuna smiled smugly. “Of course. You wouldn’t dare.”

“So believe me when I say that. It will always and only be you. In my eyes, in my heart, and in my world. No one can catch my attention like you do.”

“I didn’t know you were so mushy when I first saw you. What happened to the dark brooding hitman I met on day one?” Tsuna smiled, unable to ignore the warm feeling filling up his chest.

"Only for you, Tsuna, only for you."

Tsuna just laughed.

* * *

_—Present_

That's what he said, didn't he? Tsuna thought as he lay on the grass of his backyard after returning to his own house, watching the stars blink in the night sky. That was what he had promised.

_It will always and only be you._

Tsuna closed his eyes and sighed. He wished that he could clear his mind, but memories kept flowing back to him, with Reborn always having a part in them.

That was so long ago, and people… change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The author got lazy and stops here…  
> You should probably get used to flashbacks… I think I'm going to use many in the subsequent chapters, if not only the daily life arc is so boring .-. and omg can't wait until future arc because well~ it'll definitely be more interesting.  
> I've skipped: the second chapter, expulsion crisis, Russian roulette, Haru and family entrance test. Going mostly by manga cause I was lazy to rewatch the anime. Hmm it'll be a mix in the future I think.  
> By the way, I think I'm going towards All x Tsuna on top of R27. (As in not romance but like everyone cares for Tsuna.) So Gokudera will respect him in the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hibari Kyoya**

The first time Tsuna set his eyes on Hibari Kyoya, he thought, hey, that looked like Fon.

The next thought was that, this guy was probably as dangerous as Fon then, since they were related. Tsuna promptly raised his guard.

The third thought was even though they looked similar, they gave off such a different aura. The moment Hibari swept his eyes over him, his gaze sent chills up Tsuna's spine, and it was impressive for a teenager to do that to Tsuna, after all the mafia men he had seen.

Tsuna always liked hanging out with Fon, for the latter was like the someone calm amongst the chaotic Arcobaleno. The both of them were like the only sane ones when they went for missions, or during the normal times for that matter. Well, obviously Tsuna was close to Reborn, but honestly an excessive time spent with Reborn was definitely not healthy, with Reborn being so egoistic, arrogant, sadistic and, all in all, a bad influence.

Fon always made him feel calm, and reminded him of a gentle breeze brushing his face in spring, while Hibari reminded him of the harsh winter frost. Chilly, cold, and painful. However, no matter who Hibari was, Tsuna had planned to stay out of his life.

That _was_ the plan. When they met again, it was on the school's rooftop. Hibari was as usual, on the rooftop, but Tsuna didn't know that since he just transferred in. Even if the rooftop was off limits to the students, Tsuna still went, as he was after all not one for rules.

"Herbivore, the roof is off limits to the students. Leave or I'll bite you to death."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just transferred in and I don't know the rules yet." Tsuna replied, trying to act like a normal, frightened student.

Hibari narrowed his eyes at him. "If you dare break another rule, herbivore, I'll surely find you and bite you to death."

"I'm really sorry." Tsuna bowed. "But you're a student too, why are you here?"

"I can do whatever I want."

Can't Hibari let a man enjoy his meal alone, peacefully and quietly? It was not like the Hibari owned the school… or did he? Whatever, it didn't matter to Tsuna anyway.

Okay, so Tsuna heard that Hibari was the Head of the Namimori Middle Disciplinary Committee, and one should never cross him. However, his attitude really pissed Tsuna off a little. Maybe it was a bad day. Maybe Tsuna simply wasn't in a good mood. Maybe in the future, Tsuna would thank his foul mood on this day that bound the two of them together.

On a normal day, Tsuna would have given an innocent smile and walked away, but today was apparently not the day. "Then I can too." Tsuna simply sat down and opened his bento box.

"Herbivore… I'll bite you to death!" Hibari whipped out his tonfas, obviously angered and annoyed.

Tsuna simply picked up a salmon nigiri using his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. "Mmm, delicious."

"Her…bi…vore." Hibari gritted out. The tick mark was already on Hibari's forehead, annoyed that the herbivore actually ignored him. He rushed forward with his tonfas in his hands, attempting to strike Tsuna down in one blow.

To Hibari's amazement, Tsuna dodged easily as he stood up in a blink of an eye and jumped away nimbly, his eyes still set on his bento. "Wow." Was this weak-looking guy secretly a carnivore?

"Do you know? I'm not here to start a fight, I'm just here to have my lunch. I won't disturb you if you don't disturb me." Tsuna tried to negotiate, but it seemed like Hibari was only excited to fight him.

Tsuna sighed. Were teenagers these days all so hot-headed?

As Hibari continued to strike, Tsuna continued to dodge. The fighting pace got faster and faster, but the only result in the end was that Hibari was slightly tired and panting, while Tsuna just wanted to eat his nicely-made lunch.

"Omnivore…" That's right, that's the word to describe him. An omnivore. Even though the guy before him was strong, somehow Hibari thought he couldn't pull off the title of a carnivore.

Tsuna raised his eyebrow at the title, wondering if it was a form of acknowledgement of his strength or something. "Ah… So can I eat now? I'm going to be late for classes if I don't finish eating soon." The bell was going to ring in a few minutes, thus Tsuna managed to eat finish his bento in record time and rush off to his classes.

Hibari didn't deem it necessary to acknowledge him anymore, just threw a "hn" and jumped to a higher area to take a nap.

The next day, Tsuna was back on the roof again. He did try to go to other places, but he decided that he still liked the roof more. Hibari was just a minor downside.

Tsuna, though, did bring another bento with him, which he gave to Hibari, claiming that it was a peace offering, and from now on they will share the roof without disturbing the other.

Hibari had to admit that he was kind of hungry and Tsuna did cook very well (and he did give an innocent smile today so Hibari somehow or another trusted him to not poison the food), not that he would ever say it out loud.

In the end, with Tsuna occasionally cooking meals and adding the fact that Tsuna was indeed stronger than him, Hibari had no choice but to make-do with another being sharing the roof with him. Of course, Hibari still picked up fights with Tsuna, but Tsuna always tried his best in evading the attempts, most of the times succeeding.

It was an implicit friendship, and before they knew it, they spend most of their lunch breaks together.

Tsuna didn't know how that happened, but as others had told him, the sky-flame users do have a knack for attracting people to them, and in Tsuna's case, it was always the weird and dangerous people.

To Tsuna, Hibari was a different kind of companion. He was quiet most of the times, preferring his own personal space and time, and Tsuna was fine with it.

He didn't want to admit, but Tsuna thought that Hibari reminded him of a certain someone as days flew by. Maybe it was the aura they both gave off, but Tsuna kind of liked staying with Hibari.

He never did admit, but even he sometimes get a bit lonely, sometimes getting a bit sad thinking about the past, and sometimes missing a certain someone.

* * *

Tsuna just happened to walk past the reception room when he heard some ruckus inside. Knowing that the room was used for the disciplinary committee (he had occasionally dropped by to see Kyoya), Tsuna stopped to see what was happening inside.

Honestly speaking, Tsuna was not worried for Hibari, for the fact that he could defend himself well, but the appearance of Reborn kind of changed everything.

Who knows what Reborn was scheming again…

When Tsuna opened the door, the whole reception room was in a mess and it looked like a tornado had passed over it.

Hibari was pretty much unscathed, but Tsuna couldn't say the same for Yamamoto and Gokudera who were lying on the floor. Ietsu was half-naked (courtesy of the Dying Will Bullet, probably), and Reborn was sitting on the window ledge.

Tsuna didn't know what happened, but the first words he heard upon entering the room was Hibari saying "I don't know who you are, but I'm very much irritated right now."

Uh oh.

Then he moved forward to attack Reborn, ignoring Tsuna's cry of "Wait!". Tsuna resisted the temptation to roll his eyes, because Hibari _never_ actually listened to him when he asked him not to fight, but he nevertheless rushed forward to grab Hibari's right arm away from Reborn.

The thoughts of _what the hell is Reborn planning again, why did I fall in love with such a weird guy, why does everyone like to fight so much, and Kyoya can you have more self-control than a five-year-old kid_ flashed through his mind.

Still, his efforts were proved fruitless when Hibari's tonfa clashed against Reborn's, and Tsuna knew everything was doomed when Hibari said "Wow. You're amazing.". If Hibari and Reborn started fighting _seriously_ in the middle of nowhere, it was surely a cause of concern. Tsuna didn't want to attract any more attention than it was already, and it wouldn't really be convenient if the school suddenly collapsed.

Sometimes Tsuna questioned the sanity of people around him, but then again he had to admit that he was not the sanest person on earth either.

A tick mark appeared on Tsuna's forehead. "I said stop it already!" He reached forward and pulled Hibari away from Reborn.

The two ceased action, because it was common knowledge that _Hell hath no fury like a Tsuna scorned_ , and it was high time they stop before Tsuna kills the both of them.

"Omnivore…"

Before anyone could continue to speak, however, Reborn grabbed Ietsu who grabbed Yamamoto and Gokudera and jumped out of the window. Reborn had wanted to use a bomb, but considering that Tsuna was there, he decided against it lest anything happens to him.

Tsuna just watched them disappear as they dropped from the window, took a deep breath, and decided not to think about Reborn's sanity anymore.

"I want to see that baby again."

Tsuna turned to Hibari, smacked him on his head and walked away.

* * *

When Tsuna saw Reborn and Ietsu in school the next day, Reborn commented on how close Hibari and Tsuna were.

Tsuna tilted his head at the sudden question, and said, "We are just… friends, I guess?"

Reborn raised his eyebrow, to which Tsuna smiled sheepishly in return.

Ietsu scoffed and said, "I don't think that kind of person actually have friends. If he can even tolerate you, you guys must be close indeed."

Ietsu looked up with a puzzled expression as Reborn smacked him with a Leon-turned slipper and shouted, "Ow! What's that for, Reborn?"

"Speaking of which Reborn, are you planning to make Kyoya one of the guardians?" Tsuna asked.

"Any problem with that?" Reborn replied, ignoring Ietsu's exclamation of "What guardians?"

"Nah, I was just wondering why everyone is suddenly in the mafia now…"

"That's all Reborn's fault! He's dragging everyone into the mafia!" Ietsu proclaimed, which earned another smack from Reborn.

Tsuna gave them a rueful smile. "Ah, so it is."

* * *

**Fon**

Tsuna was, needless to say, surprised when he saw Fon, in the middle of the street disguised and selling buns, no less. "How are you, Fon? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Thank you, I'm fine. Didn't expect to see you here either, Tsuna."

"Well, visions." Tsuna shrugged, implying that it was nothing of importance and there was no need to worry over it.

"I heard Reborn was training the Vongola Decimo here."

"Yes."

"Are you okay?" As usual, Fon was getting a little over-protective again, and Tsuna could actually hear the frown in Fon's voice even as his face was covered by sunglasses and a hat.

Tsuna sighed. "I'm fine."

"You shouldn’t get into this kind of things… I thought you had always stayed out of mafia-related issues."

"I'm capable of protecting myself, okay? I know what I'm doing and just because I'm cursed… doesn't mean I'm weak."

"Sometimes you overwork yourself…" Fon shook his head. "If you get hurt, everyone would be worried."

Tsuna's eyes softened a little. "I'll be fine, really."

Fon didn't say anything else, and Tsuna waved him goodbye as he headed to school. "See you soon."

"Take care of yourself, Tsuna." Fon called out as Tsuna walked away.

* * *

**Sasagawa Ryohei**

"Join the club, Sawada!" Tsuna blinked as he felt a sense of déjà vu when he entered the school gates. He turned to where the voice was coming from, and saw Ryohei pestering an Ietsu without his clothes on, and Kyoko at the side.

Hmm?

"I'll wait for you in the gym after school!" Ryohei shouted, ignoring Ietsu's protests.

Then Ryohei spotted Tsuna in the distance, and came to greet him instead. "Tsuna! Have you changed your mind? Do you want to join the boxing club now?"

Tsuna sweatdropped mentally at Ryohei's enthusiasm, and rejected him politely.

"Well, that can't be helped then. Anyway, I gained a new member! See you, Tsuna!"

Tsuna just smiled and waved as he watched Ryohei leave.

"Eh? Onii-san asked you too?" Tsuna turned around as Ietsu came up to him.

Tsuna noticed that Reborn was sitting on Ietsu's head, and greeted him too. "Yeah, it's a pretty long story, actually. It was around the time I first transferred here…

"I was just walking on the streets, and I saw some yakuza pestering a girl so I interfered–"

Reborn interrupted. "That's so you, Tsuna. Haven't you heard of 'mind your own business'?" _And try to stay safe?_

"Yeah, yeah. Where was I… Oh yes, and Ryohei happened to see me fighting the yakuza, commented on how 'extreme' I was and asked me to join his boxing club, to which I politely declined, but as you have seen how effective that was, I had to participate in a boxing match against him. If he won, I would join the boxing club, but if I won, then I wouldn't.

"In the end I did win the match, and the rest, as we would say, was history. He never did stop asking, though."

Ietsu gulped. "You must be really confident then…" He couldn't do the same thing, could he? He didn't even know how to box, for god's sake!

"Hmm? I guess I was." Tsuna smiled. "Well, good luck with him, then. He's really a nice guy, albeit a little too passionate. Then again, he's constantly in Dying Will Mode, and I guess that's pretty impressive."

"EH?"

"You didn't have to tell him that, Tsuna."

"Oops." Tsuna gave Reborn a somewhat apologetic smile that didn't seem too sincere. "Look, class is starting soon. Better run now!"

* * *

**Reborn's Birthday**

Tsuna wondered what he should get for Reborn as his birthday neared. He hadn't given him birthday presents for god knows how many years. He remembered that when they were together, Tsuna had always asked what Reborn would like for his birthday.

The answer would always be " _You_."

Then Tsuna would blush, hit Reborn, and still wreck his brain for a birthday present anyway.

It was nice reminiscing the old days, but Tsuna still had the problem of finding Reborn's present.

Tsuna thought until his head hurt, but still couldn't come up with a suitable one, and decided to go with the usual, by baking an espresso cake for him. Honestly he knew that Nana would probably bake one for him too, but he knew how Reborn loved his cake and decided that a small one shouldn't hurt. As for the present… Well, they aren't together anymore, so it didn't need to be so grand, right?

And the cake takes a lot of hard work too, okay?

* * *

In the end Tsuna still bought a coffee cup along with the small espresso cake to Ietsu's home.

They had organized a birthday party for Reborn, and invited many people there.

Tsuna put the cake into the fridge, since they will have to eat the cake prepared first, but Tsuna knew that Reborn didn't like sweet things that much anyway, so he'll probably still be able to eat the cake later on. It'll be a surprise, maybe?

His present was placed with the others, and he went to wish Reborn a happy birthday.

"Just this present? Have you gotten a little stingy, Tsuna?"

Tsuna's eye twitched at the shamelessness of Reborn. "That's asking a bit too much of me, Reborn."

"I'm the world's greatest hitman. I deserve the best."

Tsuna resisted the urge to hit him.

* * *

— _Flashback_

Tsuna had cooked a whole meal for the both of them, along with the three-layered cake he had baked. Tsuna had suggested going out at first, but Reborn insisted that Tsuna's food was the best, so Tsuna decided to cook one of the grandest meals ever, and according to Reborn, it was really good.

"Now it's time for the cake! Hmm, at first I wanted to bake a bigger one, you know like those kind of wedding cakes–"

"Are you implying something, Tsuna? Do you want to get married so soon?" Reborn gave his usual teasing smirk.

Tsuna glared at him and used his fingers to flick Reborn on his forehead. "Reborn! Can you not? Anyway, I was thinking of baking a larger cake, but I thought we won't be able to finish it and it'll be a waste to throw it away so we will have to make-do with this."

"I'll eat anything Tsuna makes."

"You say that but… Never mind. Let's sing you a birthday song then–"

"Pass. I'm too old for this."

"It's not like you're going to sing them anyway! I'm the one singing, so stop complaining."

After much bickering, Reborn finally relented and let Tsuna sing him a birthday song, grudgingly but dutifully blew out the candles and pretended to make a wish, because who believed in that anyway, and they finally could cut the cake.

As Reborn was enjoying the cake, Tsuna brought out the presents, which consisted of a photo album and Reborn's favourite brand of coffee beans.

Reborn thanked Tsuna for the coffee beans as they were quite rare and expensive and even Reborn didn't consume them as often as he wanted, then proceeded to open the photo album.

Reborn had to resist the urge to smile at the photos and wondered where the hell did Tsuna manage to get all of them, and how he didn't notice that their time spent together was so long that it could fill up one entire photo album.

Somehow Tsuna could always make his chest glow with this warm feeling and make his face want to grin sillily. _What are you doing to me, Tsuna? I'm not supposed to feel human, you know._

"Tsuna, come here."

"Hmm? Is there anything you–?"

Tsuna was cut off as Reborn leaned in to kiss him. Tsuna's mind suddenly short-circuited. He could taste the cake in Reborn's mouth, and thought it tasted delicious – or was it Reborn that tasted delicious? – but that didn't matter anymore.

"As I thought, the cake was missing something. It's so much nicer with a dash of Tsuna." Tsuna blushed, and wanted terribly to wipe that smirk off Reborn's face.

"Thank you." Reborn ruffled Tsuna's hair. "Looks like I have to prepare something good for you tomorrow."

Tsuna scoffed. "You'd better."

Reborn just smirked, and pull Tsuna closer until he could hug him. He wrapped his arms around Tsuna and rested his forehead on his shoulder.

_As long as you are with me, Tsuna, my birthday will always be the best._

* * *

— _Present_

At the end of the party, Tsuna waited until everyone had left then he presented the cake to Reborn.

Reborn had raised his eyebrow at the box given to him, but smiled when he saw the cake inside it. Ietsu was in the kitchen helping to clean up, and nearly fainted in shock when he saw Reborn's smile. Reborn, for the sake of the cake, ignored Ietsu and the urge to shoot him.

"I haven't eaten your food for ages. Did your standard improve or drop?"

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "What kind of question is that?"

Reborn put a piece of cake into his mouth. "It's not bad, I guess."

"Just not bad? That's it, no more cake for your next birthday."

"There's a next?"

Tsuna didn't know how to answer that. "… If you want."

Reborn paused for a while and finally said, "Thank you, Tsuna."

Tsuna smiled, and Ietsu thought the smile made all his previous smiles looked slightly fake, "Happy birthday, Reborn."

_I want to wish you happy birthday for your next birthday, Reborn, your next next and next next next._

_Just… let me stay by your side forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll write about Dino next chapter. I can't believe I wrote one whole chunk of weird stuff about Hibari D:
> 
> I kind of liked how this story became so Tsuna-centric LOL, but hey rest assured, more R27 coming haha, whether angst or fluff (both are good).  
> Haha actually… If you looked carefully, Reborn was actually jealous of Lambo, heh.
> 
> Got the "What do you want?" "You." lines from Junjou Romantica. Cute, right? xD


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Honestly all these flashbacks make feel like I'm writing some R27 fluff instead of this story hahaha oops. Pardon my incohesive babblings, brain not working as usual. Timeline a bit different as well? Lol so much for following canon, but still following, mostly.
> 
> Previously: Introduction of Hibari, Fon, and apparently Tsuna had a past with Ryohei too (he has it with almost everyone, honestly), and also a super, super fluffy part on Reborn's birthday.
> 
> Continuation of birthday celebration from before.
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own KHR and lyrics of Heart rate #0822 that appears inside.
> 
> OOC? OOC.

**Tsuna's birthday**

— _Past_

"So what did you prepare for my birthday, may I ask?" Tsuna jumped in front of Reborn excitedly.

"Thought you asked me to surprise you? Couldn't wait anymore? I always like to torture my preys by making them wait," Reborn smirked.

Tsuna shot him a 'you-are-so-weird' look and pursed his lips. "I didn't know you do."

He shook his head and asked again, "So, so? Where are we going? What did you buy?"

"Tsuna… You said you would be happy with anything I do, right?"

"… I did…?" Tsuna tilted his head. "And?"

"So be happy with whatever I'm going to do for you."

"Oh." Tsuna looked down for a second, then met Reborn's gaze once more. "Is it that bad?"

Reborn gave a nonchalant shrug. "Just saying."

"But it's my birthday!"

"Have I ever told you that I never celebrated my – or anyone else's birthday – until I met you?"

Tsuna was speechless for a few moments. "No, you absolutely did not." His tone sounded a little… scandalised.

Reborn, on the other hand, looked as if he couldn't care less. "I thought you would have guessed. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. You just have to enjoy because I told you to."

Tsuna laughed. "Yes, yes, master Reborn. I'm sure I will."

Reborn's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. "Let's go."

Tsuna let Reborn lead him to wherever they were supposed to go, and it turned out that Reborn had reserved a private room at a Japanese restaurant. Tsuna's eyebrows rose. "Japanese?"

"You like Japanese, don't you? This restaurant is pretty popular too."

Tsuna nodded in agreement. "Japanese is nice, I guess."

"Come on in, then." Reborn said as he pulled Tsuna along.

The room had a comfortable atmosphere to it, and it seemed like one of those traditional Japanese-styled rooms.

Just like what Reborn had said, the food was fantastic, and Tsuna could see the reason why it was so popular. The sashimi, for one, felt as though it melts in your mouth.

"Ah~ I'm feeling so full right now," Tsuna commented as he rubbed his belly in contentment after they finished their lunch. "The food was delicious! Thanks for bringing me here."

Reborn smirked with satisfaction. "Of course. What I choose can never go wrong."

Tsuna sighed in his mind at Reborn's usual arrogance. Why did he always put up with him? "Are we going now?"

Reborn paused for a moment. "Wait."

"Hmm?" Tsuna questioned. "Are we missing something?"

Reborn didn't honour it with a response. Instead, he got up to call the waiter for something, while Tsuna watched him, puzzled with his actions.

There was some rustling and the door opened. Tsuna's eyes widened when a number of waiters and waitresses walked into the room.

" _Buon Compleanno a te,_

_Buon Compleanno a te,_

_Buon Compleanno caro Tsuna,_

_Buon Compleanno a te_!"

They were singing the birthday song, with the waiter in front carrying a what seemed like a black forest cake, with candles on top.

Reborn didn't sing along, but Tsuna obviously didn't expect him to. He did, however, take the cake from the waiter, put it on the table in front of Tsuna and reached out to ruffle Tsuna's hair.

"Buon compleanno, Tsuna."

Tsuna smiled. Was he touched? He shouldn't be, right, for this was supposed to be expected of a birthday celebration. Yet, he guessed it wasn't the cake nor the song he loved, but the slight smile on Reborn's face, the time and effort Reborn actually put into thinking and planning all these, and his expressive eyes that said everything, to the point that no words were needed to be exchanged between them.

That was what their relationship was like, wasn't it? In his memory, Tsuna couldn't recall any of them saying _those three words_ , but sometimes, some things didn't need to be said. While Reborn pretty much had a gilded tongue, Tsuna still thought that he was more of an actions type of person, instead of a words kind of person.

And Tsuna liked it that way.

"Thank you."

This time round, Tsuna gave Reborn one of _those smiles_ , the ones which meant much more than words could convey. _Thank you for everything, thank you for doing this for me, thank you for giving me happiness, thank you for so many and so much._

* * *

After lunch, Reborn took Tsuna on a walk. "Where do you want to go now?"

"Anywhere is fine. I'm kind of full, so let's just walk around a bit," Tsuna replied.

"That's fine."

Reborn turned to Tsuna, who looked up to ask what was wrong, to which Reborn said, "Hand."

Tsuna gave him his hand, and Reborn grabbed and held it without saying anything else. Tsuna wanted to smile again, but repressed it a little, because he didn't want to look like a teenage girl who was on the first date with her crush or something.

Tsuna suggested a stroll in the park nearby, and Reborn agreed.

A sudden thought struck Tsuna. "Wait Reborn, did you prepare any presents?"

"Presents? Wasn't that meal enough?"

Tsuna frowned with a pout. "I cooked a meal and gave you _two_ presents!"

"I would have cooked, but while the food I cooked is edible, I didn't think it was a good idea," Reborn said in a very deadpan way.

"…"

"Close your eyes."

Tsuna did.

There was some shuffling. "Open them now."

When Tsuna opened his eyes, he saw Reborn holding out a box of… rings. "What? Are you proposing?" Tsuna blurted out without thinking.

Reborn raised an eyebrow. "'Course not. They are promise rings."

"Promise rings? Never heard of them before."

Reborn smirked. "They are for promises."

That continued to pique Tsuna's curiosity, and he took a closer look at the rings. There were two in the box, and Tsuna assumed the bigger one was for Reborn and the smaller one for himself. They were silver in colour, and there seemed to have some words carved onto them.

"Can I take them out?"

"This one is yours, and this is mine." Reborn handed him the smaller of the two, then slipped his own ring onto his left middle finger.

Tsuna brought the ring to examine it. On it, it wrote, _Il cielo_ _senza il sole_ _è buio._

_How depressing._

"Let me see yours." Tsuna held out his hand and Reborn held out his too to let Tsuna examine the ring.

On Reborn's, it wrote, _Il sole senza il cielo non ha una casa._

One side of Tsuna's lips lifted, and he asked, "What's with these lines?"

"To engrave them into our minds."

"And what's the promise?"

"It's a promise. My promise to you."

Tsuna looked at Reborn's serious face, and wanted to say something. He wanted to say he understood, he did, but in a way, he didn't.

He only nodded. "Thank you."

Without any warning, Reborn stepped forward and embraced Tsuna. The sudden movement placed Tsuna in an awkward position, but after a while Tsuna managed to relax and hug him back.

He could feel Reborn leaning down and whispering beside his ear, "No, thank _you_."

This 'thank you' had a slightly different meaning from before when Tsuna had said it with that smile of his, and Tsuna could finally understand the meaning behind Reborn's words.

_Thank you for being here._

* * *

— _Present_

"Happy birthday, Tsuna." Reborn jumped over the wall surrounding Tsuna's house and greeted him.

"Thank you." Tsuna smiled, as if it was a daily occurrence that an one-year-old baby jumps over his wall and intrudes into his house.

"Aren't you going to tell the others that it's your birthday today?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Nah, didn't we just celebrate your birthday yesterday? I'm not one for birthdays anyway."

Reborn tilted his head. "Strange. Isn't that what I used to say in the past? Is there a reversal of roles now?"

Tsuna let out a laugh. "I didn't notice…"

"Here," Reborn suddenly said.

Tsuna looked up, only to see Reborn materialized a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere and handing it to him.

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked for a few seconds, slightly in shock. "Is this for me?"

"No, it's for Leon." Reborn rolled his eyes, and resisted the urge to add a 'duh', because it felt like it would somehow ruin his image.

Tsuna recovered his composure and blatantly ignored Reborn's sarcasm. "Well… I guess I did give you your birthday presents yesterday… Thank you then!" Tsuna took the bouquet from Reborn's tiny hands. The bouquet was as big as, if not bigger than, Reborn and it was made up of roses, with the colours orange, yellow and white alternating.

"Orange roses are my favourite. Thanks." Tsuna said as he fingered one of the orange roses, and he realised that the yellow and white roses really brought out the colour of the orange ones.

"I know."

Tsuna looked up and into Reborn's eyes, then gave him a smile so wide that his eyes can't be seen anymore, which seemed to say, _I know that you know_.

Reborn looked away for a second, then told Tsuna, "I'd better get back to Dame-Ietsu now, he's probably slacking again."

Tsuna nodded in response. "Don't be too harsh on Ietsu, okay? He's just a child."

"Aren't we all." Reborn then smirked. "Right, I'll try my best not to let my inner demon show." Or, in other words, Reborn probably wouldn't even _bother_ to try.

That earned a chuckle from Tsuna. "Yeah, you do that."

"Ciao ciao." Reborn bid Tsuna farewell, before jumping over the wall again to leave.

"I have a gate for a reason, you know!" Tsuna shouted after him, slightly amused by how adamant Reborn was to jumping over walls.

Reborn just raised a hand without turning back, as if saying goodbye, and also ignoring Tsuna's previous words.

Tsuna sighed and smiled a tad indulgently while he watched Reborn disappear into the distance.

He went back into his house and sat on the couch in his living room. The television was then turned on, but one could tell that Tsuna's heart wasn't in it. Now that he was alone, he was left in his own mind to think, and memories came flashing into his mind before he willed it to.

Tsuna didn't notice that he had subconsciously touched the ring from a long time ago, of which he had put a metal chain through and used it as a necklace.

He wondered if Reborn still had it.

Maybe he could ask him; perhaps try to run after him at this very moment and demand an answer from him, then dismiss it as some leftover sentiments later on.

Or maybe he could ask him when they next meet, which was probably tomorrow, and bring up all those years of hidden memories and feelings.

But he didn't.

And he wondered about the promise.

He didn't ask about that either.

* * *

Reborn didn't look back when he walked away from Tsuna's house.

He couldn't get Tsuna's smile out of his head, the one Tsuna gave him when he told him that he knew orange roses were his favourite.

"Tch."

He shook his head to clear his mind. Leon crawled down from his fedora at the sudden movement, and Reborn open up his right palm for Leon to land on. It nuzzled his hand, and Reborn's other hand went to pet it absentmindedly.

Leon looked up at him, then jerked suddenly to cough out... a ring.

Reborn sighed and picked up the ring. "Right. I gave it to you."

He stroked the ring and brought it closer to his face to take a better look, then flipped it into the air and catching it seconds later.

He played with it using his fingers for a few more minutes before stopping in front of Ietsu's house, and stayed there thinking for a while.

Reborn looked down at Leon on his palm and laid the ring in front on it.

"Come on, take care of it for me, won't you? It's a promise."

Leon simply acknowledged him by stepping forward and swallowing the ring.

Reborn petted Leon once more, then walked into the Sawada household and smirked. "Now, it's torture time."

* * *

**Dino Chiavarone**

When Dino first met Sawada Tsunayoshi, it was love at first sight.

It all started when Dino was planning to visit the Vongola Decimo in Namimori and his family. He had been wandering around in the park of Namimori alone, since his family wanted to eat and Dino wanted to walk around a bit more, and told them that he will catch up later. That was when he tripped over air and had a hard fall. It just so happened that there was unfortunately a fountain nearby and as usual, somehow Enzo ended in water again and…

When he laid his eyes on him, his heartbeat rate jumped from 70 to 100.

There he was, a brown-haired angel smiling down at him and extending a helping hand. He could practically see the sparkles and flowers when the angel smiled.

Dino stoned there for a moment, before realizing it was rude for him not to respond and took the offered hand.

"Th-thank you."

Dino was going to say something else more coherent and elegant, he swore, when he was interrupted by a loud roar. He paled in record speed. "OH SHIT! Enzo!"

"Huh?" The brunet blinked, unable to process the things happening around him at that particular millisecond.

Dino quickly took out his whip to protect the innocent-looking brunet, but without his subordinates in sight, he was basically an useless klutz. He ended up nearly slapping the angel in his face, to which the latter had nimbly jumped away to avoid the whip and surprised Dino, but his surprise was short-lived as he had somehow tripped over his whip himself.

"Wahh!"

How embarrassing. However, Dino did not have enough time to think much as he watched Enzo get bigger and stepped out of the fountain. "Uh oh."

Dino wanted to make another go at capturing Enzo. To his surprise, before he could swing his whip again, the brunet grabbed the whip from him (probably afraid of what Dino would do with the whip), and used it with practiced ease. The brunet had aimed at the turtle's legs and the whip had wrapped around them smoothly without tangling up. Dino's mouth dropped open at the sight.

He was supposed to be _harmless_?

What shocked him even more was how the brunet _flipped the turtle_ with _one_ hand like he was flipping a goddamn pancake. Yes, Enzo hadn't grown that big yet - the fountain was pretty small, thank god - but what the hell? Was he Reborn in disguise?

Enzo landed on his back and Dino knew the ordeal was pretty much over, as Enzo still hadn't learnt how to flip back over himself. Great, now he just had to wait for Enzo to dry up as soon as possible.

"Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to grab your whip like that." The brunet smiled sheepishly at him while handing him the whip.

Blood rushed to Dino's face as he tried to make a reply, but failed. He only had one thought.

Fate. At this moment, Dino believed in fate, which had brought the two of them together.

He didn't care whether the brunet was dangerous or not. He had a feeling that he was surely involved in mafia in some kind or another despite his innocent looks, but he just had this urge to protect him, to protect his beautiful smiles forever. The feeling only grew progressively stronger with time, and it had only been a few minutes but Dino was sure he was in love, and the level of protectiveness he felt for the brunet was almost the same as that for his subordinates.

He could only smile awkwardly back. "No, it's fine! It's fine! Thank you for helping me! I'm the one who should be sorry for all the trouble!"

The brunet was like an enigma to him. He didn't really know what to think of him, but he seemed to carry a mysterious air around him that attracted people to him.

"Do you… do you want to eat lunch with me? To thank you, of course." Dino stuttered out.

The brunet shook his head and gave him a warm smile. "No, it's okay. I'm in a bit of a rush for time, and it's a small thing anyway, so there's no need to thank me."

"No, I- !" Dino wanted to protest and say something else, but the other had already waved and ran off and disappeared. At that very second, Dino realized with horror that...

_I didn't even ask for your name._

* * *

**Fuuta de la Stella**

"Wah!"

Tsuna skipped away from a sudden attack from behind and kicked the man away on instinct. "What are you doing? Who are you and what do you want?"

The man only lay on the ground, unresponsive and seemingly unconscious.

Well, perhaps he shouldn't have kicked so hard.

"Are you an idiot? Can't you tell that he has brown hair, not blond? And there's no kid!" Other men came shortly after, and Tsuna knew at once that they were from the mafia.

From what Tsuna gathered, they were searching for a blond haired boy that looked like him, and the only other mafia people in this town would be... Ietsu and Reborn. It wasn't that hard to guess, and this was probably another scheme of Reborn.

Tsuna sighed internally. Was Reborn trying to turn Namimori into a mafia town or something? And why was he always dragged into everything?

"There they are!" One guy with spiky hair pointed out. Everyone turned to where he was pointing, including Tsuna, and as he had expected, he saw Ietsu running away from them with a small, young boy. Who was that now? Another new family member whom Reborn recruited? He looked no older than ten! Granted, Reborn looked like an one-year-old, but this boy seemed as though he was _really_ a child.

On closer inspection, Tsuna realized his face looked familiar. Wasn't it Fuuta de la Stella, the Ranking Prince?

Tsuna bit his lip, and wondered if he should help. He wouldn't want Fuuta to fall in the hands of the other mafia families, though, and he didn't like people bullying kids.

As the men in gray suits ran past him, Tsuna discretely stuck out one of his legs to trip the leader.

"Ow! What the hell!" The leader cried out as his face hit the ground.

"Boss! Are you okay?" All the other men ran to help the boss while Ietsu took Fuuta's hand and managed to escape.

Meanwhile, Tsuna tried his best to disappear into the background and run away without other people noticing him.

However, Ietsu and Fuuta were not as lucky. The Mafiosi caught up with them in the end, but thankfully Ietsu fought them off with a Dying Will Bullet. On their way home, they happened to see Tsuna nearby, in a conversation with Reborn.

"Ah! Sawada Tsunayoshi-san! Thank you for helping us earlier!" Fuuta went up to them and said, with Ietsu trailing behind.

Tsuna turned his attention to them. "Oh, just now? No, I didn't do much, you two are the ones who fought them off."

"Tsuna-nii is top ten for being the kindest mafioso! I can call you Tsuna-nii, right?"

Tsuna blinked as he processed the sudden information, then smiled warmly. "Sure, why not." He paused for a moment. "I'm not _that_ kind."

"I have always said you are way too soft-hearted, Tsuna." Reborn butted in.

Tsuna shot a glare at Reborn to shut him up.

"Do you want to come to my house, Tsuna? Since we are all going there." Ietsu asked.

"Okay."

When they reached Ietsu's house, they all went up to Ietsu's room. Before they could do anything, however, Gokudera and Yamamoto came rushing into the house.

"Jyuudaime! I heard Fuuta de la Stella is here!"

"Hahaha, I met Gokudera on the way, and thought I should come along too."

"Shut up, baseball freak!"

"Hello... Guys..." Ietsu looked as if he was overwhelmed all of a sudden.

"Can you rank me?" Gokudera asked with huge excitement.

Ietsu looked to Fuuta, and the latter nodded. "Since you're all Ietsu-nii's friends, I don't mind ranking. And I'll help rank Tsuna-nii too."

Everything started to float around them, including themselves. Gokudera was amazed, Yamamoto was laughing, Ietsu shrieked, Reborn smirked a little, and Tsuna raised one of his eyebrows.

"Tsuna-nii is ranked the most powerful out of all mafia."

"HIE?" Ietsu squeaked in surprise.

"Reborn is the world's greatest hitman." Ietsu fainted due to shock.

"Hahaha, this guy is so funny." Ietsu sweatdropped as he heard Yamamoto. He must have thought that this was some kind of game again!

"Hayato-nii is ranked 54 for being the most hot-headed mafioso."

Ietsu was inclined to agree, and Gokudera proved that point by rushing forward to Fuuta but was thankfully held back by Yamamoto. "Let go of me, baseball freak! I'm not freaking hot-headed!"

Fuuta continued. "Takeshi-nii is best to become a mathematician."

"Hah?" Everyone in the room blinked.

"And… Tsuna-nii's most important person is Hibird."

"Eh?!" Tsuna exclaimed. "It is?"

There was an awkward silence. "I didn't know that..."

Did he secretly subconsciously like Hibird or something? Yeah, Hibird was very cute and all... But what is this?! He didn't understand himself anymore!

"Oh, it's raining. I don't feel very well." Fuuta suddenly stumbled, and Tsuna reached forward to catch him. "My rankings go wrong when it rains too."

"Eh? That means all of the rankings were wrong?" Ietsu asked in shock.

Reborn smirked. "But they were right for the first few."

"So when did it start to rain?" Gokudera asked the most important question, but no one had the answer.

* * *

— _A few weeks later_

"Fuuta is missing! I can't find him anywhere!" Ietsu exclaimed with worry. Fuuta had been staying at Ietsu's house for a while, much like I-pin, Lambo and Bianchi. However, he had not come home for a few days, and Ietsu was filled with anxiety.

He had thus gathered Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera to ask them about Fuuta's whereabouts, as they were the ones most familiar with Fuuta.

Tsuna frowned. "He didn't come to my house for quite some time." Fuuta sometimes popped by Tsuna's house to visit him, and Tsuna would give him some treats.

"Don't worry, Jyuudaime, I'm sure you will find him soon!"

"Yeah, Ietsu, maybe he just went to visit his relatives," Yamamoto continued.

Ietsu gave him an odd look, but nodded nonetheless. "But we still have to find him, right?"

Gokudera and Yamamoto agreed, and they commenced their search for Fuuta.

Tsuna trailed behind them, deep in thought. He had been feeling a little unsettled due to the dark power that has gathered around Namimori, but Reborn probably knew what was going on around here, so he didn't want to worry too much.

Still, Tsuna was sure that something was going to happen, and his intuition was never wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Kokuyou arc

**Hibari vs Mukuro**

"Impossible. There's no way Hibari-san could have lost a fight..." Ietsu mumbled in disbelief as Kusakabe was brought into the hospital.

By this time, Hibari would have gone to attack the enemy already, so it was hard to believe that the enemy was still alive and attacking Namimori students, unless he had failed...

Tsuna frowned. "There are other people stronger than Kyoya in the mafia world. I'm guessing this is related to the mafia, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Kyoya did fail." _Not forgetting the fact that Shamal has infected Kyoya with the Sakura-kura disease. If the enemy exploits that, then Kyoya would have nearly zero chance of winning. Argh. I should have asked Shamal to give him the cure right away._

"Indeed." Reborn affirmed Tsuna's guess after he had inspected Kusakabe's teeth. "This guy lost four teeth, and if you looked at the previous few, you can see that it's a countdown with teeth. This correlates to Fuuta's fighting strength ranking."

"That means whoever is attacking has Fuuta." Tsuna concluded. "That's not good news. It's best if we do something about it soon before it gets out of hand."

"Also, they are trying to target you, Ietsu." Reborn said calmly.

"Hieeee! What?"

"They are trying to sniff out the members of Vongola." Tsuna answered. "And after the fourth-ranked is attacked, they are attacking the third one."

"What! The third one is...!" Ietsu snatched over the ranking list and found the next target.

"We better get going." Tsuna said.

"You go deal with it. I need to check out something that is bothering me." Reborn told them.

Tsuna nodded in understanding and ran after Ietsu who had already rushed out.

* * *

**Gokudera vs Chikusa**

"Ehh? He left early?" Ietsu exclaimed at their teacher, outside their classroom. "Oh my god, what are we going to do?"

"Don't panic. I'm sure he's still around somewhere. We just need to find him."

Ietsu nodded worriedly. "Let's split up."

Tsuna shook his head. "It'll be better if we stick together. We don't know who we are facing at the moment. And it's a good thing that it's Gokudera because we can just find him from the sound of his explosions."

Ietsu's face lit up. "That's true! Let's go!"

True to Tsuna's words, they managed to locate Gokudera soon enough on the streets, not only from the explosions but also from the whispers of the passersby.

"Gokudera-kun! Are you alright?" Ietsu ran up to Gokudera who was sitting on the ground with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Tenth! Why are you here?" Gokudera looked shocked upon seeing Ietsu.

"Well... Some rumours said that Gokudera-kun was targeted by Kokuyou High guys..."

"You came because of that? Sorry for the trouble, Tenth! I've already taken care of the problem!" Gokudera explained while kneeling down on the ground.

"Ah... You're really strong..." Ietsu said.

"Where's the attacker, Gokudera?" Tsuna asked after surveying the surroundings.

Gokudera looked around. "He's down somewhere over there- Wait, he disappeared?"

Tsuna suddenly shouted, "Look out!" and Chikusa appeared after the smoke has cleared off, with blood dripping off his clothes.

"Please be careful, Tenth, his weapons are yo-yos!" Gokudera warned Ietsu.

However, with the aura Chikusa gave off, even with the warning, Ietsu found himself to be unable to move.

At the next second, everything happened in a blur. Gokudera pushed Ietsu behind him to block the needles, and then Tsuna pushed them both out of the way.

The end result was that the needles mostly fell onto the floor, blocked by... the knife in Tsuna's left hand.

 _Eh? When did he get out the knife and blocked the incoming needles?_ Both Gokudera and Ietsu thought in their minds.

"Fast, but not fast enough." Chikusa said. "You're a professional, aren't you?"

Indeed, even though most of the needles were blocked by the knife, Gokudera and Tsuna still got hit by a few needles.

But wait, professional?

 _HIIEEE! Tsuna's a hitman too? I thought he was normal! Why?_ Was what Ietsu thought.

 _I knew it! Who the hell is he? He's not just average powerful; you can tell that his instincts and speed are top-notch!_ Was what Gokudera thought.

Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "Not really, you can't call me a professional."

Chikusa frowned. "Why are you not on the list? No matter, I'll just deal with you now."

"Not a good idea." Tsuna grumbled.

"Yo, guys! What's with this gathering?" Out of nowhere, Yamamoto suddenly appeared, his baseball bat slung across his shoulder.

"Yamamoto!" Ietsu exclaimed.

"Namimori Junior High 2-A, seat number 15. You're Yamamoto Takeshi."

"So what if I am?"

Before the both of them could say anything else, they were interrupted by the cries of public shouting for the police.

"You're Ken's prey. It would be troublesome if I intervened." Was all Chikusa said before he left the scene.

"He just left like that?" Ietsu said in disbelief. "Tsuna! Gokudera-kun! Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, Tenth!"

"Generally fine, but we should go to the hospital." Tsuna responded as he glanced at his wounds.

* * *

**Rokudo Mukuro**

— _In the health room_

"Tsuna."

"Sorry, seems like I didn't train for too long and became careless." Tsuna smiled at Reborn as the latter stared at his wounds on his left shoulder. "Don't worry, Shamal will take a look at it, right?"

"They could have pierced through your heart."

Tsuna's smile froze for a millisecond, then he shook it off. "Haha, you exaggerate too much, Reborn. Shamal, are you coming?"

"Tsu~na~chan~" Shamal came dancing over and tried to hug Tsuna.

"Drop the 'chan'." Tsuna said as he pushed Shamal off. Reborn helped by kicking Shamal in the face.

"I don't treat men, Tsuna." Shamal pouted as he rubbed his face in pain.

"Oh really." Tsuna flashed out the knife he had used just now.

"Just kidding. I wouldn't help Tsuna-chan if he hadn't looked so pretty in that dress-" Shamal stopped abruptly when the knife was suddenly at this throat, with just a little more force to draw blood.

"Want to continue that sentence?" Tsuna glared. Shamal shut his mouth and shook his head.

Tsuna complained with exasperation, "It was just that one time and everyone remembers! One time! Plus it was a mission!"

Reborn opened his mouth to say something, but Tsuna interrupted him, "Shut your mouth, Reborn, if not you're next."

Reborn smirked. "Just trying to compliment your looks, dear. No need to get so acted up."

"Argh." Tsuna rolled his eyes as he kept his knife. "Fancy looking at my wounds, sir, before I bleed to death?"

"Well, there's nothing much to worry about if it's you, but it'll be good if you rest a while. There's also some poison on the needles, but I'm sure you've gone through worse." Shamal told Tsuna after examining his wounds and extracting out the needles.

"It's not very serious... and we're running out of time." Tsuna complained.

However, Shamal refuted him, "Even if you have suffered worse wounds than this before, that doesn't mean that you can abuse your body, Tsuna."

Reborn nodded. "Shamal's right. It'd be best if you rest here."

"But what about Kyoya and Fuuta? We all know that the enemy is not weak this time round." Tsuna resisted the urge to pout as he argued with the two.

"It's not like we will be helping them much, Tsuna. Independent growth, remember?"

"Reborn..." Tsuna said as he worried himself over Reborn's Spartan methods. "I'll just tag along and won't do anything. Promise.

"Moreover, I'm my own person! Why am I asking permission about where I want to go from you two?"

"You're still underage, Tsuna, at least legally." Shamal provided helpfully.

"Ha, ha. I don't need to ask permission from a perverted doctor and a five-year-old baby! I'm going and no one can stop me."

Reborn shook his head disapprovingly, but everyone knew that no one can convince Tsuna once he has set his mind.

"Fine, but don't do anything unnecessary."

Tsuna nodded. "How's Gokudera? Can we leave now?"

Shamal replied, "Could be worse if you hadn't pushed him away, but not as well as you."

"Then he shouldn't come with us. We should leave as soon as possible." Tsuna told Reborn.

"Yes, I'll go gather the others."

* * *

"Are you okay now, Tsuna?" Ietsu's question was laced with worry as they set off to Kokuyou centre. "You sure you can go and fight?"

Tsuna smiled. "Who says I'm fighting? I'm just going to look at the situation."

"Ah." Ietsu sighed. "And here I thought you could help."

Tsuna shrugged, "You'll have to blame Reborn then."

Ietsu just gave him a look that said "do you think I dare to do that to Reborn" and Tsuna smiled, amused, in return.

"Tenth! I'm here!" Gokudera suddenly appeared and greeted Ietsu.

"Eh? Gokudera? Are you okay now?"

"What? Those were just scratches! I'm fine!"

"Those seem really serious though..." Ietsu mumbled to himself.

"Shamal said there was poison on the needles." Tsuna suddenly supplied.

"What!" Ietsu exclaimed in shock.

A tick mark appeared on Gokudera's face. "Shut up, tenth-look-alike. Aren't you okay too? Tch. Tenth, don't listen to him!"

"Okay... Oh yeah, thank you, Tsuna for saving us! I'm sorry I couldn't move out of the way..."

Tsuna shook his head. "No, it's fine. It happens in battles, you just have to train your instincts to make them better."

"Oi, are you insulting Tenth?"

"Gokudera!" Ietsu said. "Don't you want to thank him too?"

"Tenth!" Gokudera protested with indignation. After that, however, he still managed to murmur a "thank you" without looking into Tsuna's eyes.

"If you want to thank me, why don't you call me Tsuna instead of 'tenth-look-alike'? Which is quite a handful to say."

"Tch." Gokudera looked away, annoyed.

Tsuna smiled a tad indulgently at Gokudera's attitude, but did not say anything else.

After that, Bianchi and Yamamoto joined them, and the six of them continued their journey towards Kokuyou centre.

* * *

— _The real Mukuro Rokudo_

"It's you!" Ietsu exclaimed as he saw Mukuro sitting on the sofa in the middle if the rundown room.

"We meet again." Mukuro replied.

"Fuuta!" Tsuna shouted as he saw Fuuta standing at the corner of the room, eyes strangely blank. "What have you done to him?"

"Kufufufu, how interesting. I didn't know the sky arcobaleno was here too."

Tsuna's head shot up at the man's words, then smirked. "Are you sure? I'm sure someone has already leaked some information to you. If not you wouldn't have known that I'm the sky arcobaleno."

Mukuro laughed. "Fair enough."

Tsuna fingered the orange pacifier hidden beneath his shirt, with chains wound around it. "Still, you are the first stranger to have recognized me."

"I just had to hack the Vongola system."

Both Reborn and Tsuna frowned. "That system has got to upgrade soon then."

Mukuro smirked. "Kufufu, indeed. Let us stop talking and start fighting, don't you think?"

Just as he finished saying that, Fuuta walked closer towards them.

"Be careful!" Tsuna shouted, but it was too late as Fuuta raised his hand and stabbed Bianchi.

"Bianchi!" Ietsu cried out in distress. "Ah!" Ietsu cried again as he dodged an attack from Fuuta. "Fuuta, what's wrong? What are you doing?"

"His mind is being controlled by Mukuro!"

"No way! Fuuta, wake up!" No matter how much Ietsu called out to him, Fuuta did not stop attacking.

"Help! What do you I do now?"

"I borrowed a whip from Dino. Use it to fight." Reborn threw Ietsu a whip.

"Eh?"

"Can he even use that?" Tsuna asked as he watched Ietsu waved the whip around, a sense of déjà vu washing over him.

True to his words, Ietsu hit his own face, but thankfully managed to tangle Fuuta with the whip.

 _Hmm, where have I seen this before?_ Tsuna pondered.

"It's not your fault, Fuuta! None of this is your fault."

Surprisingly, Fuuta did stop his attack midair after hearing the words. "Ie... Ietsu-nii..."

"He managed to break the mind control."

Reborn turned to look at Tsuna. "No need to sound so surprised. He's my student, after all."

"Oi! Fuuta!" Ietsu, on the other hand, was panicking when Fuuta fainted.

Mukuro sighed, "Looks like I have to do this on my own."

"Argh!" All of a sudden, Ietsu was hit by spikes, unable to avoid them fast enough.

Ietsu tried to hit back. The next moment, however, Mukuro disappeared and reappeared at another place.

"He's an illusionist." Tsuna commented.

"Kufufu, what sharp eyes you have, sky arcobaleno."

Tsuna didn't bother to reply.

"Illusionist?" Ietsu enquired.

Mukuro gave a sinister-looking smile. "I have gone through the six paths of reincarnation, and gained six skilled along with it."

"If that's really true, then you really are a monster." Reborn told him.

Mukuro laughed, eyes mocking. "You are one to say, sun arcobaleno."

Tsuna bit his lips at Mukuro's implication.

"So? Shall I show you my next skill?" Mukuro taunted.

"Wah! The floor is collapsing- ow! What's that for, Reborn? Eh? The floor returned back to normal?"

"It's an illusion, Dame-Ietsu."

"Well spotted, arcobaleno. So the arcobaleno are working for the Vongola as mentors now?"

Tsuna frowned, "I'm not affiliated to the Vongola."

"No, I am Ietsu's home tutor." Reborn corrected.

"Kufufu, I see. You can go at me all at once, you know? I can hold all of you back at one go."

As he was saying that, he plunged his trident at where Tsuna was standing.

"Don't get too arrogant, Mukuro." Tsuna replied, while dodging the trident effortlessly.

Reborn said, "It's against the rules for tutors to fight."

"I see. That's fine. I can deal with you after I defeated him." Mukuro smirked. "Now, the second skill is to summon animals."

"Eek! Snakes!"

There was some panic before the four of them were interrupted by the appearances of Gokudera and Hibari.

"Oya, looks like the people from the outfield are here."

"Are you ready to repent?" Hibari asked as he got ready his tonfas.

"Kyoya! Are you seriously going to fight in that condition? Treat your wounds first!"

"Kufufu. Is the sky arcobaleno worried that he will die under my hands?"

"Shut up. Are those your final words?"

"..." Tsuna should have known better than to stop Kyoya from this kind of things.

Before anything could happen, Hibari rushed forward to attack Mukuro.

After a very much intense match, Mukuro was lying on the ground and Hibari collapsed soon after.

"Kyoya!" Tsuna ran forward to catch him before he fell to the ground.

"I don't need your help, omnivore." Even on the verge of losing consciousness, Hibari can still say this kind of words.

"Tsk." Tsuna shook his head as Hibari lost conscious in his arms.

* * *

— _The possession bullet_

"Oho." Mukuro said in Gokudera's body. "As for you two arcobaleno, don't think you can get away with this." That said, Gokudera, Ken and Bianchi were all around Tsuna and Reborn.

Without any warning, dynamites were thrown towards the both of them. Tsuna escaped by rolling to the side on the floor, but Reborn did not seem to have any reaction.

"Re… Reborn!" Ietsu cried out.

This time it was Bianchi who spoke. "That can't be all, sun arcobaleno."

Then Reborn's fedora emerged out of the smoke. "I've got you now!" Ken was right behind him and aimed at where Reborn was. When Ken stabbed through, however, there was only Reborn's fedora and Reborn was nowhere to be found, until he suddenly jumped out of nowhere and grabbed his fedora from the trident.

"Reborn!" Ietsu's relief was palpable.

On the other side, the real Mukuro appeared and was attacking Tsuna.

"Well, the sky arcobaleno, huh. Won't it be great if I can control the most important person in the mafia."

"In your dreams." Tsuna replied as he dodged the trident aimed at him. "And you flatter me too much."

Tsuna looked over to where Reborn and Ietsu were. "Well, I would like to think that Reborn wasn't so weak to be killed by those tricks, Ietsu."

"Why don't you pay attention to me, sky arcobaleno, before you die?" Mukuro told Tsuna as he aimed once more at him.

Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder at the same time Tsuna moved back away from Mukuro. "If Ietsu is my student, he will be able to surpass himself and defeat you, so there is no need to try and fight us."

Mukuro laughed. "Why are you so afraid for, sun arcobaleno?"

However, he did stop and start targeting Ietsu instead.

"What do you mean, Reborn? What was that for?" Ietsu exclaimed as he jumped away from Mukuro and gang's attacks. "I can't do this."

"Ietsu, Dino has also gone through this."

"Eh? Dino-san?" Ietsu asked. "Uwahh!" A couple of dynamites was thrown his way.

"Come, we have talked way too much. Let's end this." Mukuro told him.

Those who Mukuro was controlling were closing in towards Ietsu. All of a sudden, Chikusa fell before he could reach Ietsu.

"Huh?"

"Tsk. This always happens. But it's fine as long as I can control their movements."

Ietsu paled. "What do you mean? You still make them move even they're severely injured?"

Chikusa managed to get up from the ground. "His injuries…"

"Kufufu. It's fine. I can't feel any pain. They are my bodies after I possess them, anyway."

"What…! But the body belongs to your friend, doesn't it? Why are you doing this? That's… not right… Stop it! They're bleeding!"

"Yes they are. So why don't you surrender so they don't have to suffer anymore?"

"But that's…" Ietsu faltered. "Reborn! What should I do? I… can't..."

All he earned was a kick from Reborn. "Stop your pathetic whimpering, Ietsu, and vent your true feelings. You, and nobody else, are the Vongola 10th boss. Whatever you say, will be the answer of Vongola."

Ietsu looked shocked. "My… true feelings…?"

"I want to… to… defeat Mukuro!" The moment the words of determination came out of his mouth, Leon started to glow.

"What?" All of them were blinded by the sudden light, which subsided after a while.

Reborn explained, "Leon is my partner, and is about to disgorge an item for my student to use."

"No matter. Let's finish this up. I'll just have to cut this thing up." Ken ran up to Leon and split it into half.

Leon was fine in the end, and something came out of him.

"Eh? Wha-?" Something fell onto Ietsu's head. "What's this? A pair of gloves?"

Tsuna looked surprised. "That's the same weapon as..." _Primo and me._

"Indeed." Reborn affirmed, then turned to Ietsu. "Now it's your turn to fight, Ietsu."

* * *

— _The end and the aftermath_

"Is this the end?" Tsuna looked around the surrounding ruins, and Ietsu had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

His eyes landed on the body of Mukuro which was lying on the ground in middle of a dent. "Is he really at fault? He's just an innocent child who got caught in the mafia. He's only 15, for god's sake!"

"Are you pitying him, Tsuna? He has killed so many." Reborn replied.

Tsuna smiled, slightly pained. "Haven't we all killed?"

Silence greeted them.

Suddenly, Tsuna spoke again. "Can he do it?"

"You mean Ietsu?" Reborn asked, tilting his head.

Tsuna nodded. "Can he change Vongola and the mafia?"

"I don't know." Reborn answered truthfully as he picked up his suit from the ground. "Let's just hope for the best."

"Yes." Tsuna watched as Ietsu was carried onto a stretcher, his eyes revealing a forlorn look. "Let's."


	6. Chapter 6

**Mafia Land**

"Good of you to come, kora! Say your name, kora!" A baby with yellow hair and a long rifle appeared which shocked Ietsu.

"Who is this baby?" Ietsu asked.

"Ciaossu, Colonello." Reborn greeted with a smirk.

"Long time no see, Colonello." Tsuna greeted too, but with a warm smile on his face instead.

"Reborn, kora!" In a sudden flurry of movements, Colonello managed to fire his gun at Reborn. Reborn dodged it with grace, and returned some shots, one of them hitting Colonello in the forehead.

"Is he... Dead?" Ietsu paled as Colonello lay on the floor.

"He's Colonello, and he's in charge of Under Mafia Land." Reborn informed Ietsu.

Colonello suddenly stood up and picked up a squashed metal piece from the floor. "Is this your bullet Reborn, kora? And Tsuna! It's great seeing you after so long." Colonello then jumped into Tsuna's arms.

"You still have that huge rifle, Colonello. Such terrible taste as always." Reborn taunted.

Colonello just ignored him and tried to fit more comfortably in Tsuna's arms.

Ietsu questioned, "Are you Reborn and Tsuna's friend?"

Colonello rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Reborn and I are not that friendly, I'm just not able to get rid of him, kora! As for Tsuna..."

"We're old friends." Tsuna smiled.

Ietsu sweatdropped. What is with that 'old' again? Aren't they kids?

Reborn added, "We're born and raised up in the same place."

Ietsu blinked. "Then you guys are... Childhood friends?"

The other three stared at him.

"Colonello, go train Ietsu to pass the test." Reborn spoke up.

"Eh, wait- what?" Ietsu's eyes widened in shock and his mouth dropped open.

"Just watch me, Reborn. I bet you're too soft, kora!" Colonello smirked.

"Oh really. I do this-" Reborn twisted Ietsu 's hand back, ignoring Ietsu's cries, "-when he doesn't listen."

Colonello jumped and kicked Ietsu's face. "I do this, kora!"

"Oi!" Ietsu protested as he landed on the ground.

"I was lying just now. Actually, I do this." Reborn kicked Ietsu so hard in the stomach until Ietsu flew a few meters away. "Ietsu is my toy - I mean student - after all."

Ietsu mentally screamed. _He said 'toy', didn't he? I'm sure he said 'toy'! He finally admitted it!_

"Now, you have to survive that whirlpool." Colonello pointed at the direction down the cliff.

"HIE? I can't swim! Nooo-!" Before Ietsu could say anything else, he was already kicked down the cliff into the sea. What the hell? He was totally beaten up twice as much as usual! What is this?!

"Help!" Ietsu shouted between gulps of water. "I really can't swim!"

Tsuna looked down in worry and asked the Spartan tutors, "Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

"Don't worry, Tsuna. He won't die, kora." Colonello waved his hand nonchalantly as if waving away Tsuna's worries away, and there wasn't anyone screaming for help nearby. "Speaking of which, why are you even here, Tsuna?"

Tsuna shrugged. "Just... Things."

Colonello took a sidelong look at Reborn. "With the Vongola Decimo, no less. Are you sure it's going to be alright? He would probably be a magnet for trouble, kora."

"I'm fine."

It was Colonello's turn to shrug now. "If you say so."

Colonello then walked to the edge of the cliff. "I guess it's time to bring him up now?"

When Ietsu finally reached the top, dripping wet, he thought he had seen heaven - no wait, it was hell.

Colonello was standing over him, while Tsuna and Reborn were standing at the back talking to each other, with Reborn in Tsuna's arms and Tsuna having a weird smile on his face.

Ietsu stared at them while they chatted engrossingly with each other, and commented to Colonello, "They must be really good childhood friends, huh."

Colonello raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that, kora? Actually..." He beckoned Ietsu to come closer. "They were lovers."

"... What-!" It took Ietsu more than a few seconds to register what Colonello was saying. A teenager and a baby? How did that even work? He did not like the mental image he was having right now. Granted, Reborn wasn't like any other baby, but...

Ietsu was so shocked he nearly fell back into the sea again, but he managed to hold on. "You're not kidding me, right?"

Colonello rolled his eyes. "Why would I, kora?"

Before Ietsu could protest again, another train arrived in Under Mafia Land, and out came Gokudera and Yamamoto.

"Tenth!" "Ietsu!"

"Why are you guys here?"

While the three were chatting, Tsuna felt like Ietsu kept shooting him weird looks. He sighed, knowing that Colonello probably told him something.

All of a sudden, an alarm rang throughout Mafia Land.

"What is that?"

"An enemy is attacking Mafia Land!" Colonello answered Ietsu.

"An enemy of the alliance... It would probably be the Calcassa Family. What an unlucky day they pick, when the family in charge of protecting the island isn't here." Reborn supplied.

"I must fight the... But it is nap time now, so I must sleep." Without even explaining anything else, a bubble appeared on his face and Colonello fell asleep.

Ietsu's mouth dropped. "Now is not the time to be napping!"

"Colonello is right. We should fight... Huuu... Huuuggghhh..." In the middle of his speech, a bubble also appeared on Reborn's face.

"What! Oi, Reborn!" When his efforts to wake the two babies up were futile, Ietsu told the other three, "My mum is still on the island! We'll have to go back first!"

Gokudera and Yamamoto nodded, but Tsuna replied with an apologetic look, "I'll stay with them."

Ietsu agreed, and they left for Mafia Land - by walking on railway tracks no less, and Yamamoto still thought it was a game, like usual.

After meeting up with the rest of the girls and Nana, somehow Gokudera managed to convince the other gangs to let him become the leader, and they have to face another baby with a helmet and his giant octopus. What's up with babies these days anyway?

"You haven't eaten that octopus yet?"

Everyone turned their attention to the new baby with a fedora who appeared by jumping down a tree.

"Reborn-senpai! You're here?"

Reborn regarded him with disdain. "Didn't you notice that your pacifier is glowing?"

Skull looked down and sure enough, the purple pacifier on him was glowing.

"Stop attacking now." Reborn ordered.

"No way! I'm under orders, and you are the enemy I'm supposed to defeat!" Skull crossed his arms with defiance.

Another figure jumped down exactly where Reborn did a few minutes ago. "Hello Skull."

"Tsuna!" Skull greeted in surprise. "You're here too, Tsuna?" He then jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder to hug him.

"Muahahaha! Tsuna! Watch me while I defeat Reborn and conquer the whole world!"

"... Skull..." Tsuna said as he let Skull settle down comfortably between his chest and arms.

"Tch, lackey. You can't defeat me."

Skull puffed up his chest. "Watch me!" He then use his hands to control the octopus to capture Reborn, which Reborn evaded it easily.

"Oi, Tsuna, get out of the way."

"You guys really shouldn't-" Reborn jumped and kicked Skull out of his embrace, Tsuna's words completely ignored.

"Ahhh! Reborn!"

Skull managed to use the octopus' tentacle to grab Reborn, but Reborn immediately retaliated with a few gunshots of his. Skull blocked them with his hand.

"Haha, nice try, but today is your death day!" As he said that, Skull closed his fingers into a fist. However, the octopus did not follow his actions. "What is happening? Why won't you move?"

Reborn smirked, "I guess he has never seen your hand like that," referring to Skull's engorged hand.

Ietsu gasped. "I see. He used the Fist Bullet."

"Now it's my turn." Reborn kicked Skull so hard that he hit a tree with a 'thump'.

"I guess it has come to this. Attack from the battleships!"

"Colonello has already dealt with that."

Skull looked up in shock. "Colonello-senpai is here too?" Just as he had said it, his subordinates had informed him that all the ships had sunk.

"Why didn't you do this from the start?" Ietsu complained.

"Oh please, you didn't even fight."

 _That's true_ , thought Ietsu, _was he protecting me?_

"I'm just punishing my errand boy."

"...!" Was Ietsu's speechlessness.

"Tsuna…" Skull decided to cling onto him. "Reborn is bullying me…"

Tsuna blinked, probably having been in this type of situations thousands of times. "... Reborn, be nice."

Reborn glared at him.

Tsuna blinked once more at his glare, then said, "Skull, you've made quite a mess, why don't you go home."

"But I haven't seen you for so long!"

"I'll find you later, okay? Go before the alliance and security come and capture you." Tsuna coaxed.

"Capture me?!" Skull exclaimed. "See you, Tsuna, but I don't want to see you again, Reborn-senpai!"

Reborn flashed out his gun, and Skull fled.

"You're letting him go just like that? He'll never learn." Reborn questioned Tsuna.

"Then you want to capture him? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Arcobaleno?" Tsuna replied.

 _Isn't he a disgrace to us already?_ Reborn thought, but didn't say that out loud.

"I heard that, Reborn."

"Hmph."

* * *

**Dino Chiavarone re-encounter  
**

"Wha?! The rings were distributed to other people as well?" Ietsu blurted out.

"Yeah, it's the tradition of Vongola." Reborn replied.

"Hey Reborn, I've finally found you. Did something happen?" Tsuna suddenly walked into their gathering.

"... Where were you, Tsuna? After so many things had happened?"

"Eh? Really? Sorry, I was too engrossed in my book, but my Hyper Intuition was annoying, so I decided to come find you guys." Tsuna smiled sheepishly.

"You… You… you-" Dino's mouth dropped as he pointed to Tsuna.

"Hmm? Oh! You were the one with the whip and that turtle? You're… Reborn's ex-student? Pfffft-" Tsuna tried to cover his mouth as he laugh.

"I…"

"Why are you laughing, Tsuna? And stop stuttering like an idiot, Dino, you're embarrassing me." Reborn jumped to kick Dino in the face.

"Noth… nothing…" Tsuna said, still trying to stop laughing.

"You… you know Reborn?" Dino asked. "You are in the mafia?!" _But you look so innocent!_

"He's the Sky Arcobaleno." Reborn helpfully supplied.

"Sky… Sky…!" Dino fainted.

"... Maybe you shouldn't have said that?" Tsuna raised an eyebrow. "Is he alright?"

"He will be." Reborn replied. "Anyway, as you have said, he is my ex-student, Dino Chiavarone, 10th boss of the Chiavarone famiglia, also known as the Bucking Horse Dino. Not to mention, he's useless without his subordinates."

"No wonder, haha."

"You've met him before, I presume?" Reborn guessed.

"We did!" Dino suddenly got up from the floor. "He saved my life."

Tsuna shook his head and waved his hands around. "I didn't, not really. There's no need to-"

"Can I at least know your name?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. You can call me Tsuna."

"Tsuna… Are you free for lunch?"

"Eh?" Tsuna tilted his head. "I ate already."

"Oh…"

Looking at Dino's dejected face, Tsuna said, "I've told you it's fine not to treat me, right? If you really want we can arrange a meeting I guess."

Dino suddenly looked hopeful. "Really-?" Reborn, however, just kicked him once more.

"Why don't you go train Hibari now?"

"Oh? You're training Kyoya?" Tsuna's eyes widened. Ietsu also expressed his sense of disbelief. "Hmm… I guess… Good luck? He's pretty easy to tame, though. Like a cute cat who likes to pretend he's a lion, but I guess he really is sort of strong."

Only you would say this kind of things, Tsuna… and don't let Hibari hear this.

"Cute…?" Dino repeated, trying to match that word with how Reborn had described him.

The rest were also bewildered.

However, Dino had this sudden urge to defeat that Hibari very thoroughly. _They sound really close…_

"I'll get going, then."

"Bye!"

"Now we start training…"

* * *

**Controlling the Dying Will**

"Actually, I am a descendant of Vongola Primo too."

"Eh? EH?!"

Tsuna scratched his head. "I'm I kind of your distance great-granduncle or something? I'm not very sure cause I lost count."

"Hah? How is that even possible?" Ietsu demanded.

"Well, I'm the Sky Arcobaleno."

"Then... Then... Why didn't you become Vongola's boss?"

Tsuna frowned. "I didn't want to go into the mafia at first, but I have no choice but to become the Sky Arcobaleno."

"So you're going to teach me how to use Dying Will Flames?"

"... I'm just the consultant, according to Reborn."

"Eh? Why?"

Tsuna looked away. "It's the Arcobaleno's curse. Even though I have enough flames to maintain the pacifier and a teenager's body at the same time, I still have to pay a price. I can't use my flames like how I did in the past, which I don't really mind."

Then he looked back at Ietsu. "Doesn't matter if I can't fight with my flames, I don't like to anyway."

Ietsu seemed like he understood, but at the same time he didn't.

"Anyway, you're supposed to fight with Basil."

"Nice to meet thee, Sawada-dono." Basil bowed.

"Basil-kun… Is your body alright?"

"Yes, thanks to Romario-dono and Master's medicine."

Reborn shot Ietsu a Dying Will bullet. "You better fight hard, Ietsu, otherwise not only you will die, your friends will die along with you."

* * *

**Lambo From 20 Years Later**

"I didn't think I'd see you guys again. How… nostalgic." 20-year-old Lambo said.

"...?!" Tsuna was hiding in the shadows when Lambo said that. _What does he mean?_

Lambo looked around the crowd. "Tsuna-nii is not here? Oh wait, never mind." He shook his head, as if remembering something. _Even though I want to meet him so much…_

"It's enough to move me to tears." Lambo continued. "But it seems like this is no time to be emotional, for there is a very rough-looking person standing in front of me."

Tsuna watched from the shadows as Lambo fought until the end and how Ietsu broke the rules and surrendered both the Sky and Thunder rings, still pondering over what Lambo said.

He felt a sense of foreboding and uneasiness as he replayed Lambo's words and expressions in his head.

What exactly happened in the future?

Did everyone die?

Wouldn't Ietsu have become a good boss?

"Ouch…" Tsuna grabbed his head as he felt a very bad headache coming along. Something was preventing him from trying to peek into the future.

However, there was one thing for sure - the future was not the one they all envisioned.

* * *

**Mammon**

"Why are you always wearing a cloak or hiding during the Ring battles?" Ietsu asked Tsuna who was by his side.

"Hur… hur… I don't want the Varia to recognize me, to be honest." Tsuna muttered under his breath, but Ietsu caught it.

"Huh? What do you-"

"Battle of Mist: Mammon versus Chrome Dokuro. Battle begins!" One of the Cervello women announced.

"Do you think that that chibi is an Arcobaleno?" Colonello asked both Reborn and Tsuna.

"Tsuna would know." Reborn commented.

"... I'm not going to give out any unfair advantage. I'm neutral. _Neutral_." Tsuna replied. "Does it matter if he's Viper anyway? If it's Mukuro they'll both have a fifty-fifty chance."

"You don't sound surprised at all, Tsuna."

"I felt his presence floating around throughout Namimori today." Tsuna sweatdropped. "He would make a great Mist guardian, anyway. Kind of expected that it would be him."

Mammon, on the other hand, did notice Tsuna was present with the other Arcobaleno. He could recognize Tsuna's silhouette even if he was cloaked.

Why is he here? Oh well, let's hope Boss doesn't know it, if not he'll burn all of us if he realised that Tsuna was helping the opponent instead of him.

Well then, let's release my full power, thought Mammon, as he unchained his pacifier.

Reborn and Colonello's pacifiers both glowed, but Tsuna's one remained unchanged.

"Well, you knew he was alive and even had contact with him, don't you? Where else would you get the same chain as him, then?" Reborn stated.

Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "Well, you see… Why don't we focus on the fight instead? Look, the floor is falling, apparently." Tsuna pointed to the ground.

"…" The three of them all remained standing, unaffected by the illusions.

* * *

**The Conclusion**

"The Ninth!" Everyone exclaimed as they gathered around the injured body which was inside the Gola Mosca.

"Xanxus! How could you?" Ietsu shouted.

"You were the one who killed the Ninth boss of Vongola, scum."

"I…"

The old man held Ietsu's hand. "Young Ietsuna… We've finally met."

"Stop talking, Timoteo." Tsuna rushed forward, ripping the cloak off as he bent down to check the Ninth's pulse. "Weak, but salvageable."

Reborn frowned. "Tsuna, you can't be thinking of…"

"If he dies, many problems will appear." As Tsuna spoke, orange flames came leaking out of his hand and into the Ninth's. "If I just use a little bit, I'll be fine and his life will be alright…"

"I thought you can't use flames, Tsuna?" Ietsu asked.

"He's using Life Flames. Flames that can revive people… at the cost of your own life." Reborn replied, letting Tsuna concentrate.

"It's… fine…" Tsuna hissed a little as he removed his hand from the Ninth's.

"Tsunayoshi… you really shouldn't have…" The Ninth mumbled. "Take care of him…"

Tsuna gave a slightly wearied smile and wobbled a little as he stood up, facing Xanxus. "Don't you think you're too much, Xanxus? He's your father, for god's sake! Even though he's not… you shouldn't have-" Tsuna suddenly broke his words off with a cough.

"Tch, damn trash." Xanxus still had his hands in his pocket, looking away. "Why are you even here…"

Tsuna sighed at Xanxus' attitude. "You do what you want, Ietsu, and I'll take care of the Ninth."

"Thank you…"

"Go rest too yourself, Tsuna." Reborn told him.

Tsuna nodded, and Colonello offered to help him carry Ninth to the helicopter they had called.

* * *

"I disappear for a few years, and this is what happens." Tsuna complained to Timoteo as they striped him to the bed on the helicopter.

"I apologize, Tsunayoshi, for this mess. And do help me apologize to Ietsuna too."

Tsuna waved his apologies away. "It's fine, Timoteo." Tsuna then peered through the window. "Are they ending the Sky Battle soon? I don't get why we're going through all of this when the results have already been decided."

Timoteo laughed. "It would be a good experience for Ietsuna and his guardians though."

Tsuna frowned and asked the question that had been bugging him for so long. "He would be a good boss, right? It would be terrible if something bad happens to any one of them…"

"Are you already too attached, Tsunayoshi? That's not really like you." Timoteo patted Tsuna's hand. "I'm sure they will be alright. Unless you foresee anything?"

Tsuna bit his lip. "What's coming, will come, and we can't really do anything at the moment."

"Let's have some confidence in our dear Ietsuna, no?"

Tsuna nodded and gave the Ninth a tight-lipped smile.

* * *

**Omake**

Actual conversation under Mafia Land when Reborn and Tsuna were talking:

"Colonello just likes to cling to you, that disgusting, sticky baby."

 _Don't you too..._ Tsuna didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Hmph." Reborn crossed his arms, probably hearing Tsuna's thoughts.

* * *

On Skull:

"He's even worse than Colonello." Reborn wrinkled his nose in disgust as he's trying to pull Skull away from Tsuna's arm. With brute force, he managed to pull (Skull can adhere to surfaces as strongly as his octopus' tentacles) away from Tsuna and threw him into the sky.

Tsuna was all like "…"

* * *

On Dino:

_He's obviously asking you out on a date, Tsuna! Are you real dense or fake dense?_

Hmph. To think that Dino got his eyes on Tsuna. What? Like teacher, like student? Why don't I kill him first?

Evil glint in Reborn's eyes as he polishes his gun.

* * *

"Am I cute too?" Dino asked.

Tsuna blinked at that weird question. "... I guess?" _The clumsy kind of cute._

"What about me?" Reborn pushed Dino away.

"You too…?" _The dark and evil kind..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Piece of shit I realised all the chapters weren't centralized and I only found out today. 
> 
> Setting: Future Arc

* * *

_The sky and the sun may seem very close together, but only the sky knows the unreachable distance between them._

* * *

**The Disappearance of Reborn**

It was after the battle with Varia, and Tsuna was comfortably settled down in his living on his sofa, immersed in a book, finally getting some peace and quiet. He was in the midst of flipping a page when his right hand jerked and moved to press against his chest.

"Eh?"

What is this? Tsuna put down his book and took some deep breaths.

There was this... tug in his chest, like something was pulling away from him. It wasn't painful, but it was unsettling and uncomfortable, as if there was a hollow place there that nothing could fill up.

Tsuna frowned, but decided to ignore it as he picked up the book again to distract himself.

It was only later when Ietsu ran to Tsuna's house and told him that Reborn was missing, then Tsuna realised what the feeling he had experienced meant.

"He's missing?" Tsuna stared at Ietsu's perspiring face for a seconds. Ietsu probably ran around to look for Reborn before running to his house.

Ietsu stared right back, expectant, hoping that Tsuna would have some deep insight as to Reborn's whereabouts.

"He…" Tsuna paused mid-sentence, and looked out of his window. He squinted his eyes when his sight came into contact with the glaring afternoon sun. He then turned back and gave Ietsu a resigned smile, "He will be fine, I'm sure."

Even though he said that, Ietsu could tell that Tsuna was not as reassured as what he had said. His eyes were out of focus, as if looking at something far away and out of this world.

"Tsuna, are you alright?" Ietsu's voice was slightly tinged with worry.

"Hmm?" Tsuna tilted his head, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Reborn..." Ietsu wanted to say something, but was at a loss for words.

"Him?" Tsuna laughed. "He's the sun, for a reason. You can count on him for his always-present scorching existence. You, on the other hand..." Tsuna moved forward until his face was only inches away from Ietsu's. "To be honest, I can feel that Reborn was not in this world anymore-"

"What? What do you mean by that?" Ietsu backed away in shock, also trying to get some distance away from Tsuna's way too close face.

"I'm not very sure either, but I'm sure he's fine at the moment." Tsuna sighed, "As I was saying, I don't think this is something simple. Without Reborn, it's best to be careful. It might be a plot of an enemy famiglia."

"Eh?"

"I can't say I'm not worried. I can sense slight danger but I do believe that you and Reborn can get through it... My intuition also tells me that Reborn is okay for the time being."

Ietsu bit his lip. "Is that so..."

"Don't worry," Tsuna clapped his hand on Ietsu's shoulder, "I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

* * *

**The World, Ten Years Later**

"What do you mean? Dame-Ietsu is dead?" Reborn asked, after hearing the account of the future from Giannini. "And all the Arcobaleno too? So someone was after the Tri-ni-set?"

"Seems like it. Tsuna-san is still alive, though." Giannini paused for a little while. "At least a few months ago he was."

Reborn looked up in interest. "Tsuna? Where is he?"

"Well..." Giannini hesitated and fidgeted around nervously, looking anywhere but at Reborn, "He went to Byakuran."

A frown appeared on Reborn's forehead. "What? Isn't Byakuran the enemy?"

Giannini sighed. "Tsuna-san... He went to guard the pacifiers."

"Ah." Reborn nodded, as if understanding. "But Byakuran doesn't want to kill him?"

Giannini was perplexed too. "I'm not sure, but it feels like Byakuran wants to recruit him."

"Oh!" Giannini suddenly stood up. "I nearly forgot. Here, Tsuna-san left behind this." He went to the nearby cupboard and dug around until he found a piece of paper and handed it to Reborn.

Reborn took the paper from Giannini's hands and saw there were some few gibberish letters on it.

' _Xtwwd_

_N'r knsj_

_Mjqu Njyxz_ '

Reborn took a few seconds before saying, "It says, 'Sorry, I'm fine, help Ietsu.' It's a Caesarian Shift. It's our... his favourite secret code." Reborn smiled slightly, a tad nostalgic. "Even though it's such an easy code to crack, huh? However, to be fair, he did tweak it a little. The number of letters the first word has will be the number of shift of alphabets. In this case the first word has 5 letters, so every letter will shift 5 letters down." Reborn shook his head. "It's still the same way to crack it though."

"Yes..." Giannini nodded. "Do you want to look at Tsuna-san's room? I think he left some of his belongings there, but I never had the time to look at them. Maybe there are some more clues there."

Reborn nodded and stood up to follow Giannini.

Tsuna's room was pretty plain, and there were only few belongings left.

Giannini scratched his head. "Well, when Tsuna-san first came here, he didn't have much, and he doesn't do much too, so there aren't many things."

Reborn nodded and started to look around. There were a table and a bed. The bed was neatly made, and the room was relatively clean despite long term of disuse, as if waiting for its owner to come back anytime.

"I'll leave Reborn-san to this then? I need to check on some things at the moment." Giannini told Reborn as he walked out of the room.

"Do look around to check if there is any more people arriving in this world. I think the others might come too." Reborn reminded Giannini.

"Yes, Reborn-san."

With Giannini gone, Reborn pulled out the chair from the table and sat down. The table was relatively empty with nothing of importance, so Reborn decided to check the drawers under the table.

There was nothing in the top drawer, but there was a leather-bound book in the second one. Reborn took out the book and examined it. It was a plain book, a little worn out around the edges, and there was a four-digit lock.

Reborn thought for a moment or two before turning the numbers. When he was done, the numbers on the book read 1314, and the lock clicked open.

 _Honestly_ , thought Reborn, _he couldn't have more creativity._

Reborn skimmed through the pages and could tell that it was Tsuna's diary of sorts, as he could recognize his handwriting from anywhere. Surprisingly, it did not have any drastic changes from years ago.

The book was not completely filled, as Tsuna had stopped before he reached the end of the book.

Before Reborn could read the last entry on the diary, something fell out of the book and into his lap. He picked it up and found that it was a ring. The same ring he gave Tsuna years ago.

Reborn looked down and on that page, it wrote, ' _Did you know? The sky without the sun is dark. Now it's dark outside, and I'm going to leave soon._ '

He's such an idiot, thought Reborn as he continued reading after putting the ring into his pocket.

' _I am going to find Byakuran._

_It's not an act out of rashness. He did say he's not going to kill me yet. Granted, he killed Ietsu during a meeting to make peace too._

_However, it's an undeniable fact that he possess the pacifiers. As the Sky Arcobaleno, it's my job to..._

_Never mind, my instinct tells me that he won't kill me. I have to go and stay close to the pacifiers before he does anything dangerous._

_Furthermore, everything is set into motion and it doesn't help if I stay here any longer. It's best if I start my journey soon._

_I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end. Vongola is not that easy to defeat, right?_

_I, on the other hand... have lived far too long already._

_Anyway, did you know?_

_When Byakuran was trying to recruit me, he asked me a question that I did not know how to respond to._

_"What was it like when you watch everyone you love die one by one?"_

_..._

_I wonder..._ '

Reborn's facial expression remained as indifferent as ever as he flipped to the previous pages.

On one particular page, the handwriting was a little different from the others, and that caught Reborn's attention.

The writing appeared to be more deliberate and forceful, as if the pen was trying to pierce through the whole book. On that page, there were only two lines, but those two lines seemed enough to reveal Tsuna's thoughts and emotions at that point in time.

' _He was the last to leave._

_I wonder if he tried to stay with me longer?'_

* * *

— _Forty years ago_

"Will you be with me forever?" It was a sudden question from Tsuna.

Reborn scoffed, and looked up at Tsuna. "I don't believe in forevers. There is nothing that will be able to last that long."

"Oh." Tsuna laughed. "I'm not sure that I expected anything less than that for the great Reborn."

Reborn moved closer so that he could stare at Tsuna right at his eyes. Reborn's face was so close to Tsuna's that Tsuna could see different flecks of black in his eyes, and Tsuna could sense the seriousness that was in them. "But Tsunayoshi, I'll stay with you until the time you don't want me to."

Tsuna tilted his head as if in deep thought, but after a few seconds his lips curved upwards. "I see. I don't think I'll ever get sick of you, though."

"Is that so," Reborn replied with a smirk.

* * *

— _His last words, forty years later_

"If I can go back to ten years earlier, I would be better to you."

Tsuna laughed as he sat beside the bed which Reborn was lying on. He guessed that was the closest thing to a confession he could ever wish for.

"Is there any point in saying this right now?"

Reborn shook his head. He then reached out his hand to caress Tsuna's forehead, trailing his finger down until it rested beside his left eye. "You won't cry, right?"

"No, of course not."

The corner of Reborn's smile twitched up into a slight smile, then he pulled his hand back from Tsuna's face. "I saw you crying when Colonello and Mammon died."

Tsuna jerked back and denied it while shaking his head vigorously, "I totally wasn't! You didn't see me doing anything like that!"

Reborn smiled as he ignored Tsuna's outcry. "Then, will you cry for me?"

"Of course… not." Tsuna turned his face away like a pouting child. "I don't cry."

… _Do people become more talkative when they are about to die?_

"If you say so." Reborn reached into his pocket and took out something to put into Tsuna's hand. "This ring, keep it for me, won't you?"

Tsuna opened his palm and look at the object in his hand, which appeared red as it's smooth metallic surface reflected the last rays of light from the sun. "Ah. How nostalgic."

Reborn stared at Tsuna for a while, as if trying to understand what Tsuna was thinking, then finally opening his mouth. "... Sorry." _Sorry for all the promises I didn't keep._

Tsuna paused for a moment, before shaking his head slightly. "No... It's alright."

_Promises are meant to be broken anyway._

* * *

_Forty years ago, I told you I love the way you smile. So you smiled, and smiled, and smiled._

_What I had never said, was that it's not your smile I love the most, but the happiness that shone through you. Now you smile when you want to cry, and that's even more painful than your tears._

* * *

"You know… You don't have to smile if you don't want to. It gets glaring." Reborn brushed his thumb over Tsuna's ever smiling lips as he said that.

"I apologize." Although Tsuna replied so, his lips remained the same as before.

Reborn sighed and turned his head towards the window. "Do you know? There will always be a tomorrow."

_A tomorrow without me, but the earth continues to spin, and the sun continues to rise._

There was no reply.

* * *

_Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in soul mates? Do you believe in true, infinite and unconditional love?_

_I don't, because love is a frivolous and superficial thing._

_If you fall too deep, it becomes a weakness, not a strength._

* * *

Tsuna suddenly sat up and suggested, "Let's watch the sunset together. We love watching sunrises and sunsets, right?"

"Alright." Reborn stared out of the window, wondering why there was a need to go out when they could see the view well enough in this room. Maybe the trees were blocking the full view, but the sun gets too glaring outside. But if Tsuna wanted a change of scenery, then so be it.

Tsuna stood up and brought Reborn out. They found a nice spot that gave a clear view of the setting sun, and settled down on the grass.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Tsuna asked as he hold Reborn in his arms. His hands were unconsciously treading through Reborn's spiky hair, to which Reborn would not complain because it was comfortable.

"Could have been worse." After all the things Reborn had gone through, the pain seemed insignificant.

Reborn turned around to face Tsuna while still comfortably resting in his embrace. "Hey Tsuna."

"Hmm?"

_If we were not part of the strongest seven in the mafia world, would we have had a happy ending?_

"In our next life, let's not meet each other again."

_Because the thing we are best at doing is hurting each other._

Tsuna halted his motion of stroking Reborn's hair for an instant but continued again, and nodded. "Let's not."

_I finally understood what it means by 'Falling for someone is going to hurt no matter what, so find someone worth hurting for'. Was I worthy? I guess not._

"You'll be... happier." Reborn continued.

_Let me see you smile one last time._

Tsuna smiled, but Reborn knew it was too strained without even looking. "So I will."

_Not this one… I meant the smile you showed me forty years ago..._

"So please… don't… don't… cr… cry…"

Even though Reborn had said that, he knew that Tsuna would never cry, because... Tsuna didn't know how. He never did, not when all the Arcobaleno died, and Reborn just knew that when he dies Tsuna wouldn't do that either.

Sometimes, doesn't it hurt more when you cry inside?

Silence enveloped them for a very long time. It was peaceful, with only the occasional chirping of birds or the whoosh of the wind against the trees. Watching the sky grew darker as the sun sets, a quote from The Little Prince vividly came into Tsuna's mind.

'"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!"

And a little later you added:

"You know – one loves the sunset, when one is so sad . . ."

"Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?"

But the little prince made no reply.'

 _Yes_ , Tsuna thought, all the while smiling, as Reborn's body started to disappear, leaving only the yellow pacifier behind. _I am so, so, so sad right now._

* * *

_I never had the chance to say it, but yes, I'm sick of you now. So you don't have to stay with me anymore._

_It's okay, I don't believe in forevers either._

_I guess… that makes us a pair, huh?_

…

_Have a safe trip._

_いってらっしゃい。_

* * *

"Reborn-san! We detected a flame signal nearby! I think the Tenth is here! ..." Giannini shouted as he walked into the room, then pausing as he noticed Reborn in front of Tsuna's table. "... Are you alright?"

Reborn was holding a book that was filled with writings, and looked up. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"It's not the Tri-ni-set radiation, is it? You seem a bit out of it."

"No…" Reborn shook his head. "You said Ietsu is here?"

Giannini nodded. "I detected a flame signal nearby, and it's probably them."

Reborn smirked and stood up, locking and putting the book back into the second drawer under the table. "I guess it's time, then."

* * *

— _Italy_

A white haired man placed marshmallows on the chessboard while talking with a sly foxy smile on his face, "Looks like all the pieces are coming together now."

The brunet across him just smiled, but his eyes seemed as blank as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: いってらっしゃい (Itterasshai) means 'Please go and come back.' or 'have a good day', 'take care', 'see you later'. Said to the person leaving the house. The saddest thing is Tsuna told Reborn to take care/have a safe trip (with the hidden meaning of please come back safely), all the while knowing that Reborn will never be back. That's why I love Japanese :33
> 
> Got inspiration for the code from The Imitation Game. 1314 is the birthdays of Tsuna and Reborn, and in Chinese 1314 sounds like 一生一世which means 'for life/forever'. ^^ Very cute, right?
> 
> Well, that's what Tsuna's ring said. 'The sky without the sun is dark.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Previously** : _Reborn landed in the TYL world, and was uncovering what happened in that world. TYL Tsuna was with Byakuran._

* * *

**Byakuran**

— _Five years later from present_

"Shou-chan? Where are you right now? ... Oh... So we'll meet at that Japanese restaurant? ... Alright, see you later!" The purple eyes of the white-haired man sparkled as he talked to his university friend on the phone.

As he hung up and ended the call, a sakura petal landed on his phone. Byakuran reached out to remove it before he returned his phone into his suit pocket. It was spring time in Japan, and sakura trees lined the park Byakuran was crossing through in full bloom.

The sakura petals were falling and flew with the wind. One could easily reach out one's hand to catch them, and Byakuran thought that his hair and clothes were probably covered in petals by then.

He checked his watch and then continued to walk. There was still some time before meeting up with his friend, Irie Shoichi. Irie wanted to return to his home during spring break, and Byakuran thought it was a good idea to visit Japan while meeting up with Irie.

Byakuran had to admit that the scenery wasn't so bad after all. He had always loved flowers, and loved the meanings behind them.

Perhaps he should find a bench to rest and watch the sakura. He spotted a bench in front, and although there was already someone sitting on it, there was space for two.

He walked closer, and noticed that the boy who was sitting on the bench had fallen asleep, his head nodding, with a load of sakura petals on his spiky brown hair.

Byakuran found his innocent sleeping face to be fitting to the peaceful background behind him. He watched the boy's chest expand and relax as he inhaled and exhaled, and didn't quite understand what fascinated him that made him unable to move his eyes away from the boy.

Something compelled Byakuran to bend down and reach his hand out to take the sakura petals from the brown silky hair. Byakuran was able to grab a single pink petal in his hand, and it was probably as soft as the boy's hair.

Sakura... The flower language of sakura in Japan was kind and gentle, and it was also known to be fleeting and short-lived. Just like the boy in front of him, his pale skin and peaceful countenance seemed as if they were going to fade into the background and disappear along with the flower petals.

Byakuran wanted to reach out to obtain another petal, but stopped in mid-motion as the boy suddenly opened his eyes and moved away from the hand.

"Who are you?" The boy demanded.

Byakuran grinned and asked back, "Who are you?"

The teenager frowned, and Byakuran thought that he was in fact pouting adorably. "I asked you first."

"I'm Byakuran. Nice to meet you." Byakuran held out his hand for him to shake.

"You can call me Tsuna." The boy replied, staring at the outstretched hand, but eventually took the offered hand.

"Do you know me?" Tsuna questioned, and paused for a little while, as if debating whether or not to ask the next question. "Are you a... creep, uh, I mean stalker, uh no, hmm..." He blinked at Byakuran to gauge his response, then muttered under his breath, "How do I phrase this nicely..."

Byakuran let out a laugh. "No, no, it's not what you're thinking. I'm just visiting Japan, and it's our first time meeting. I just saw there are sakura petals on your hair and wanted to brush them off."

"Uh... Okay? Thanks?" _Is it really normal to touch the hair of a stranger? Maybe that's what foreigners do in their country? Huh, what, hadn't I live in Italy too? I'm pretty sure that wasn't a normal thing..._

Tsuna stood up. "Sorry, but I've got to go now. It was nice to meet you too."

Byakuran waved as Tsuna walked off hurriedly, and a smile spread across his face.

_We're going to meet again, my dear Tsuna-chan._

* * *

When Tsuna woke up in the middle of the park under sakura trees, it was a pair of bright purple eyes that greeted him.

He didn't realise that he had nodded off, but he immensely regretted the action when he woke up, because the wind that was blowing was still cold, and it felt as if his nose had been frozen off.

He woke up due to an overwhelming and oppressing presence near him.

Years in the mafia had honed his senses and he was a light sleeper in case of danger.

He wanted to open his eyes and get away from that person, but suddenly he felt something on his head and froze for a second. He could not feel any ill intent, thus he decided to wait a while to find out what the person wanted to do.

However, the person reached out his hand again, apparently wanting to repeat the action. Tsuna thought that since the person wasn't going to be doing anything else, he would best wake up before this became a never-ending process.

When Tsuna first laid eyes on the pale-haired man in front of him, a thought flashed across his mind. Something told him that the man was related to the mafia...

… and most likely the Tri-ni-set too.

If he knew everyone who is part of the Arcobaleno or the Vongola, what was left was only the holder of the Mare Rings. For the person in front of him to be an owner of the Mare Rings… This was definitely an unexpected outcome from a walk in a park filled with sakura trees.

Tsuna dared to say that he didn't like the way the man named Byakuran smiled. It was cunning with a dash of evilness and could make him have goosebumps all over his body.

He then worried for Ietsu, as it didn't seem as though Byakuran would be an easy character to deal with, and if they didn't become allies, it would definitely spell trouble for Ietsu.

While busily fearing for Ietsu, Tsuna neglected to realise what this meeting meant for himself.

The time when Tsuna next saw Byakuran, it was a year later, and the circumstances were completely different from the walk in the park. Byakuran became the boss of the Gesso Famiglia, and finally realised that Tsuna was the Sky Arcobaleno. The pacifier Tsuna held was exactly one of the things he needed to complete the Tri-ni-set.

However, Byakuran had something else in his mind other than killing off Tsuna to obtain the pacifier.

To Tsuna's surprise - and Tsuna was never easy to surprise, mind you, Byakuran said he wanted to recruit him.

Why? When his plan was to kill off the rest of the Arcobaleno and the Vongola? Did he seriously expect Tsuna to join an organization which murders the people he cares about?

For a rare moment there, Tsuna did not manage to understand what a person was thinking, and that person was Byakuran Gesso.

* * *

— _Nine years later from present_

"Tsunayoshi~! Look at what I've gotten you!" Byakuran barged into the room suddenly, hands full while holding a pot of arbutus, and handed it to Tsuna.

Tsuna looked up from the book he was reading as a pot of flowers was shoved into his face. He put his book down to receive the pot from Byakuran.

He laid the arbutus down onto the table which was already full of flowers that Byakuran had given him previously. "Arbutus… huh." Tsuna watched the small white flowers for several moments before glancing up at Byakuran, who was currently stuffing his mouth with marshmallows.

"Hmm?" Byakuran noticed Tsuna's stare and smiled, or as much as he could with his mouth fully filled.

Tsuna inquired, "Why are you here again? Don't you have things to do?" _Like, I don't know, people to kill and plans to plot?_

Byakuran grinned as if hearing Tsuna's thoughts, and Tsuna thought that he really looked like a sly fox whenever he did that. "I'm always free for my Tsunayoshi-chan."

A small frown appeared on Tsuna's forehead.

Tsuna knew that Byakuran was crazy and psychopathic, but it was not as if Tsuna couldn't understand where he was coming from. After living for so many years, it was not possible to deny that the world was a horrible place. However, to kill off every single person he knew to create a new, better world, was something he could never do.

When Tsuna was with Byakuran, he could actually feel his thoughts. He knew why Byakuran became the way he was. Tsuna couldn't exactly say he hated Byakuran, but he did hate spending time with him.

At least he managed to obtain the pacifiers from Byakuran, and fulfilled his mission in Millefiore.

"Oh Tsunayoshi, have you heard?" Byakuran said as he looked up from the marshmallow tower he was building. "Luca-kun will transferring to the Japanese Headquarter soon."

Tsuna raised his eyebrows at the sudden news. "Luca Celestino of Black Spell? Why?"

"Because we need more people to sniff out Vongola, of course."

"You…!" Tsuna was sure that Byakuran specially wanted to specially anger him by mentioning that. "I thought Luca wanted to stay in Italy because his girlfriend was here?"

Byakuran laughed. "Who's the boss here?"

"As the Captain of the 11th Squad, I'm certain you would give him more choices… unless…" Tsuna narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you-!"

"I?" Byakuran repeated.

"Why would you do that? Even though Luca's a captain, he's not as useful in combat as the other squad captains." Tsuna queried.

Tsuna still remembered the time when Luca had return back to Headquarter covered with injuries, but he still insisted on reporting to Byakuran before getting his wounds treated. Byakuran had been with Tsuna at that time, and Tsuna had offered to help Luca tend to his wounds as he had nothing better to do. It was quite boring to be forever cooped up in Millefiore, to be frank.

When Luca announced that he had failed his mission, Byakuran was obviously furious, while still smiling, of course.

Tsuna had nicely asked Byakuran to calm down and let Luca rest before punishing him, and Byakuran agreed, and sent Luca to the medical centre. He was still smiling.

Luca had obviously been thankful to Tsuna, despite Tsuna constantly telling him that it was not a big deal. He was just bored.

Due to that incident, Tsuna and Luca had talked more, like when they met in the corridor, or eating together in the canteen. Tsuna found out that Luca was considered as one of the 'better' people in Millefiore.

He was relatively kind and caring to the people around him and his subordinates. He had a girlfriend whom he liked and thus had requested to not be transferred to other headquarters, but he still went for missions outside the country.

Luca was quite a good company when Tsuna was bored out of his mind most of the times.

Byakuran smiled while replying, "Well, there was one thing he did wrong, and that was earning your sympathy."

Tsuna's eyes widened, bewildered. "What? Me? He doesn't even like me that way. He has a girlfriend, remember?"

Byakuran played with a marshmallow before placing it into his mouth. "Didn't he tell you? He broke up with her long ago, right after he made friends with you."

"Are you implying that he likes me more than his girlfriend?"

"My, Tsunayoshi-kun, why are you usually so intelligent yet so dense at the same time? Especially in the field of romance. Can't you tell that he likes you very much? In the romantic way?"

"I don't want you of all people to be telling me this." Tsuna rolled his eyes. "You're being unreasonable."

Tsuna paused, as if wondering how ridiculous his previous sentence was. "Well, honestly, what had I expected from you anyway? I guess I'm the unreasonable one here. But I had at least expected to treat your subordinates properly. He didn't do anything wrong, did he?"

"What do you think?" Byakuran asked back.

"You do what you want with your subordinates, Byakuran, but don't use me as a reason to remove them." Tsuna's eyes hardened, and picked up his book to continue his reading, completely ignoring Byakuran's presence.

Byakuran did not seem to care about Tsuna's attitude, and continued to eat his marshmallows while watching Tsuna flip his pages.

Byakuran, even before receiving the memories from his other selves, had taken a liking to this person named Sawada Tsunayoshi. (It was as though they were cursed to always meet each other, and Byakuran would always find Tsuna to be opposing him in one way or another in the parallel worlds.)

Perhaps it was because of Tsuna's eyes. They were cold, yet Byakuran felt calm and reassured while looking into those eyes.

Or perhaps it was his smile.

It was Byakuran's plan to kill off everybody and obtain the Tri-ni-set. With Tsuna in the equation, however, Byakuran would have to save Tsuna for the last - he will complete the whole Tri-ni-set before adding in the Sky pacifier, so that Tsuna will accompany him to the last moment possible. Byakuran would then create a new world where Tsuna was alive and staying with him.

After Byakuran destroyed this world, he will create a world where everything is right and Tsuna is with him and him only.

It was a twisted way of thinking, but it was Byakuran.

If Tsuna didn't listen to his commands, then Byakuran would think of a way to control him.

Tsuna seldom responds when Byakuran talked to him, most of the times pretending he was thin air instead of a living being.

"To think that Tsunayoshi cared more for a subordinate of mine than for me." Byakuran said to himself.

Looks like you're being disobedient again, Tsu-chan.

* * *

**Irie Shoichi**

"Wahh! What a weird family!" Irie panicked as he watched Lambo and the other weird people from behind the wall.

"Are you okay?" Irie jumped when he heard a voice and turned around.

There was a brown-haired boy behind him. "AHH! Who- when did you get behind me?" _More importantly, are you one of the weird scary bunch?_

Irie thought that the boy looked like that blond hair guy he had just seen. Maybe they're related?

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you." The boy gave a reassuring and gentle smile. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Are you looking for someone?"

_They even have the same surname! They must be brothers! I better get out of here as soon as possible._

"No, no, it's okay. I've got to go." Irie hastily thought of an excuse to escape from here.

"You sure?" Tsuna then moved to see what Irie was watching from behind the wall, and saw the usual gang. "Do you think they are crazy? I think so too, but they are nice people. If you need any help, you can always ask me."

Irie heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, really? Thank… thank you." _Finally a somewhat... Normal one._

However, he had said that line way too fast, when a grenade came their way and Tsuna jumped to catch it.

"Ah… that… you…" Irie inched backwards, but there was a wall behind him that prevented him from going any farther.

Tsuna smiled. "Don't worry, you can hardly die from this. Ietsu has been through this lots of times." As he said that, he threw the grenade far, far away, farther than normal human capabilities. And very, very calmly, like it was an everyday occurrence.

 _Okay,_ Irie thought as he tried to close his gaping mouth, and his legs shook like mad. He couldn't be more wrong, he thought, as he finally slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

— _Second encounter_

Tsuna stared at the bicycle in front of him. Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

Out of all his skills for fighting, fixing a bicycle didn't seem to be one of them.

What should he do now? Leave the bicycle here? Call for help? Hmm, choices, choices.

"Um... Do you need help?" Tsuna heard a voice and looked up, only to find a familiar red-headed man staring at him.

"Ah... You're that guy..." Tsuna wrecked his brain for the guy's name. "Irie Shoichi, was it?"

"You're Sawada-san!" The man named Irie Shoichi exclaimed.

Tsuna nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm surprised to see you here."

"I'm surprised too. Is your bicycle spoiled?" Irie inquired as he pointed to the bicycle Tsuna was holding.

"Do you know how to fix it? That's great. Here I am wondering what am I going to do with this." Tsuna's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, I might know how to fix it. Let me take a look at it."

Tsuna handed him his bicycle. "Sure, thank you."

"Hmm, okay, I can fix it, but it might take some time." Irie said after examining the bicycle. "You can sit down to wait if you want."

"It's fine, if it's not too much trouble. Take your time. Do you want some drinks? I can go buy some drinks while you fix this."

"Uh, no, it's fine! It's not that troublesome. You don't really need to buy anything." Irie waved his hands around.

Tsuna shook his head. "Just take it as a thank-you. I can't thank you enough for your help."

"If you insist..."

After Irie finished fixing the bike, Tsuna was already back with the drinks he bought.

They chatted and rested for a while whilst sipping their drinks.

"You're in your third year of junior high?" Irie asked Tsuna.

"Yeah." Tsuna acknowledged.

Irie sneaked a glance at the boy standing beside him. Even though it had been more than a year since he last saw Tsuna, Irie realised Tsuna didn't even change much.

Irie himself had grown at least a few centimetres, but Tsuna remained the same as ever.

Irie still remembered their last encounter at Sawada Ietsuna's house. He had thought that Tsuna looked innocent at first, but when he saw him throw the grenade he was really scary.

As they interacted more, however, Irie found out that Tsuna was a really kind and gentle person, albeit rather eccentric at times.

Irie noticed that Tsuna's smile was particularly charismatic, and it drew people in like moths to fire. His eyes too, were clear and sincere, and Irie thought that Tsuna was the type to be always wishing the best for the people around him.

"Uh... You can just call me Shouichi." Irie stuttered a little.

"You can just call me Tsuna too. Thanks a lot, Shouichi." Tsuna smiled, and Irie thought that his heart was going to stop.

* * *

**TYL Hibari**

"I remember now. You are the Vongola Cloud Guardian, Hibari Kyoya." Gamma said after Hibari attacked him.

"What of it?" Hibari's face was as emotionless as ever.

"Our information doesn't know whether you are an ally or an enemy of Vongola based on your actions." Gamma continued.

"I told you that I'm in a bad mood." Hibari got his tonfa ready.

Gamma smirked. "So Hibari Kyoya is on the side of the Vongola."

"I'm on no one's side."

Gamma took out his box weapons, and so did Hibari.

Gamma realised that Hibari was strong, and insanely so, with his usage of disposable rings and how he evaded Gamma's attacking billiard balls.

It was no wonder that he was called the strongest of Vongola Guardians.

"He sends his regards." Gamma suddenly said, as Hibari got past all the billiard balls and inched closer and closer to him. Gamma's voice was very soft, but Hibari caught it nonetheless, because of how close he was to him.

Hearing that, Hibari froze, and wasn't able to react in time when Gamma sent him another electric ball his way. He only managed to have narrowly escaped it, but the electric field was able to cut through his sleeve.

Hibari looked down at his sleeve and smiled, then he went back to his fighting stance. "So? I won't let you escape."

Gamma watched the crack in Hibari's composure, and moved a few steps back. "We'll see about that."

However, before he could try to escape even further, Gamma was pierced by Roll's spikes.

"I told you. I won't let you escape." Hibari smirked. "Now I'll bite you to death."

* * *

— _Few months before Ietsu's death_

"Why are you here?" Hibari asked the two people standing in front of him while sitting cross-legged wearing a kinagashi in his room in the Foundation base.

Tsuna still appeared the same as nine years earlier, but Ietsu had grown into a fine young boss of the Vongola. They, too, were wearing kinagashi while visiting Hibari.

"Sorry for intruding." Tsuna said as he sat down in front of Hibari without any invitation, and Hibari shot him an irritated glare.

"Uh... Hi, Hibari-san." Ietsu was still standing up as he sneaked a glance at Hibari, until Tsuna gestured him to sit down too. "Sorry for appearing so suddenly without notice, but this is kind of important."

"Where do we even start?" Tsuna wondered.

"Speak and get out of here, herbivores."

"Well..." Ietsu started. "You see, Millefiore asked to have a meeting with me."

"And we would doubt Byakuran's sincerity in this." Tsuna continued. "So we decided to turn his own scheme against him. We have collaborated with one of Millefiore's squad captain-"

"Can he be trusted?" Hibari interjected.

Tsuna nodded. "His name is Irie Shoichi. He used to live in Namimori, and I have known him for a while. My instincts tell me that he can be trusted."

"We can't defeat Byakuran with our current state. We need the Vongola rings-"

"Then you shouldn't have destroyed them in the first place." Hibari grumbled, interrupting what Ietsu was saying. If Ietsu hadn't ordered for the destruction of Vongola Rings, then Hibari didn't have to try so hard to search for rings to use.

Ietsu looked down and apologized. "I'm sorry-"

"Kyoya, Ietsu feels bad enough that he had to destroy the rings. At that point in time, it was the best option to choose." Tsuna added.

"Hn." Hibari didn't comment.

Ietsu shook his head. "He's right, Tsuna. If I weren't so weak... No, you don't need to comfort me or anything. Anyway, Hibari-san, let me tell you our plans. You'll play an important part for them to be successful."

Hibari frowned. "What do you want me to do, herbivore?"

Tsuna was the one who replied. "We want to bring the guardians in the past to the future, which is now. In other words, time travel."

"What?"

Ietsu smiled. "I believe they will be able to defeat Byakuran, and they will bring their Vongola Rings with them."

"What do I have to do?" Hibari questioned.

"I'll need you to train the Vongola Decimo of ten years ago." Ietsu answered.

Hibari sighed. "Why me?"

"For one, you are the strongest." Tsuna said. "Secondly, you are the least emotionally attached, given that Ietsu is going to die."

"The herbivore is going to die?"

"Well, if everything is going according to plan. Of course, we'll make a special bullet so it'll seem like he's dead, but we'll revive him after Byakuran is defeated. It's still risky though."

Hibari agreed to the plan reluctantly. "What are you going to do then, omnivore?"

"Me?" Tsuna tilted his head, not exactly expecting the question from Hibari. "What can I do? I'm not as affected by the Tri-ni-set radiation as the other Arcobaleno, so I won't die anytime soon. Byakuran has most of the pacifiers, and I have to make sure that I can get my hands to them so I can revive the Arcobaleno for our plan to work in the end."

A tick mark appeared on Hibari's forehead. "You're going to find him? When you can't use flames or box weapons? You won't stand a chance against him."

Tsuna smiled. "I know."

"Omnivore, you..."

"I'm not trying to throw my life away, if that's what you're worried about. I know I can't die before I revive the Arcobaleno. I know that Byakuran is not going to harm me at the moment, and I'll escape after I get all the pacifiers."

Hibari remained silent.

Tsuna knew that he could never tell Hibari how he was going to help save the world.

Before Hibari could say anything else, however, Tsuna told him, "Trust me, Kyoya."

* * *

— _A month after Ietsu's death_

"Kyoya." Tsuna greeted Hibari as he entered the room like months ago.

"Omnivore." Hibari was preparing a cup of tea as Tsuna came in.

Hibari looked up and noticed that Tsuna wasn't looking very well. Then again, Tsuna never did look well after all the infants died.

Tsuna sat down. "I came to say goodbye. Help take care of the rest of Vongola, okay?"

"Hn." Hibari couldn't be bothered to answer that request which was said in such a patronizing tone.

Tsuna smiled, used to Hibari's nonchalant attitude, and reached out his hand to ruffle Hibari's hair fondly. "You've grown so much, Kyoya."

"I'll bite you to death." Hibari pushed Tsuna's hand away, irritated at how Tsuna was treating him like a kid.

Tsuna removed his hand from Hibari's head and laughed, but turned serious after a few seconds. "I'm proud of you."

Hibari stared at Tsuna.

"I mean," Tsuna looked away with a tinge of awkwardness, "If anything does happen, I trust that you can take care of it properly."

"..."

"I... I need to go now. Go according to the plan, alright?"

Tsuna grabbed his things as he prepared to stand up.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" Hibari suddenly asked, and Tsuna stopped in the middle of pushing himself up.

"Huh?" Tsuna blinked, slightly unsure of what to reply as the question was too unexpected, and sat back down. "What? Tea? Oh no, it's fine, I ate a lot before coming." After all, he was going to Italy, and he will be missing the Japanese food, so he had stuffed himself before he left.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Tsuna questioned after a few minutes of silence between them after that random question, and Hibari did not respond. "If not, I'll be going."

Once again, Tsuna prepared to stand.

"Omnivore." Hibari grabbed Tsuna's hand as he stood up.

Tsuna turned his attention to Hibari. "Yes?"

"Do you really want to go?"

Tsuna looked down at Hibari's hand, then gazed into Hibari's eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be back."

Hibari stared at him for a moment. Finally, Tsuna's hand slipped out of Hibari's as Hibari's grip loosened. Hibari turned back to sipping the cup of tea in front of him while Tsuna continued to walk toward the door and slid it open.

Tsuna paused and looked back to smile at him. "Take care, Kyoya. Everything's going to be alright."

That was the last Hibari saw of him.

* * *

— _Melone Base_

Time was ticking.

Or at least, Hibari was counting down.

In this Reverse Needle Sphere, where oxygen was running out, and where his tonfa were being sliced shorter and shorter by Genkishi.

Hibari smiled while dodging Genkishi's attacks. "You are the one who will be bitten to death."

"I'll make it so that you can't smile anymore." Genkishi gritted out as he readied his swords.

Hibari stared at Genkishi as he moved forward to swing his sword. "I'm so jealous." Hibari's smile was unwavering.

To Genkishi's astonishment, Hibari's eyes showed no fear as he inched closer.

_It's all up to you now._

As Hibari felt Genkishi's sword thrust into his chest, he wondered if he will see the omnivore again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Gamma**

Their eyes met.

It was when Gamma was still in the Italy Headquarter, and he walked down the corridors. A young man with casual clothes and eyes that didn't fit into the whole Millefiore walked by.

Gamma stared at the brown-haired man for a longer time, and the brunet noticed his stare and turned to look at him. A name appeared in his head. Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Sky Arcobaleno.

His eyes were so clear and gentle, and although they weren't innocent, they were definitely better than Byakuran's scheming eyes any day. He reminded Gamma of Yuni, no, more of Aria, as he had definitely been through more as compared to Yuni.

Somehow, they just knew each other after that. Maybe it was because of Yuni; Yuni had taken a great liking to Tsuna.

Sometimes, Tsuna would talk a bit about the Vongola, only the unimportant details though, like what their character is like, their hobbies and dislikes, but never about the Arcobaleno. Gamma wondered if Tsuna hated anyone for that, but he highly doubted so, given the person Tsuna was.

When Gamma had to leave for Japan, Tsuna did not ask him to help the Vongola, to Gamma's surprise. Then again, Tsunayoshi was a surprising individual to begin with.

"Don't worry." Tsuna gave a reassuring smile instead. "I'll take care of Yuni."

Gamma's eyes widened, wondering how Tsuna could remain so kind and pure while being in the bloodshed of the mafia for so many years.

However, when Gamma returned the next time to Italy, Tsuna's eyes were oddly blank.

Gamma would not admit that his heart went cold for a second. The eyes that made the whiteness of Millefiore more colourful had gone dull and cold. Byakuran never had enough - not only Yuni, he wanted Tsuna to be completely obedient to him, and Gamma hated him for that.

Gamma watched Tsuna stood up, and followed him to his room. Tsuna smiled as he poured Gamma a cup of tea, and Gamma felt shivers down his spine. It wasn't as much for the smile - Tsuna had his moments of emotionless and cold smiles - it was more of how his eyes didn't change at all.

For Tsuna, his eyes were really the window to his soul. In the past, even though Tsuna could make his face expressionless, his eyes always conveyed something, whether it was amusement, annoyance or indifference. His eyes told everything, and he wasn't afraid to show what he felt.

The Tsuna in front of him now seemed like a broken doll.

Gamma took a sip of tea from his cup before putting it back down. He suddenly noticed a piece of paper on Tsuna's table, and picked it up. _I will take Yuni with me when I escape._

Gamma paused, looked up at Tsuna's blank eyes once more, then burned the paper with his green flames.

* * *

**Xanxus**

— _After the Sky Battle_

"Xanxus." Tsuna walked into the hospital room Xanxus was in. "Are you feeling better?"

Xanxus looked up from the steak he was gorging and Squalo was sitting in the wheelchair at his bedside. It seemed that Xanxus was still ordering Squalo around even when the latter was wheelchair-bound.

Xanxus took one glance at Tsuna, and then rolled his eyes as he ignored him once more to concentrate on his steak.

Tsuna stood in front of the bed and sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better and closed it again.

"Why don't you accompany the future Vongola Decimo instead?" Xanxus bit out, and Tsuna's right eye twitched at Xanxus' sour tone.

"... You're so... petty." That was the only thing Tsuna could say after staring at Xanxus for seconds.

Xanxus' response was only to rip the steak apart harder with his teeth.

"You already knew the outcome." Tsuna continued, as if he was stating a fact.

"Trash. Why. Don't. You. _Get the hell out_."

Squalo was just watching the exchange. His usual loud voice was gone, as he knew better to interrupt both Tsuna and Xanxus. Having the both of them angry at you, at the same time, was something he would never try again.

Tsuna's eye twitched again. "I was just trying to… uh… comfort you."

"I don't need your damn _comfort_ ,trash."

Tsuna threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Then you can wallow in misery here while I go celebrate with the others."

Tsuna suddenly stepped to his left as a plate came crashing into him, which later broke after its impact against the wall.

"Oh god. What do I even do with you? Why do I even try?" Tsuna folded his arms as Xanxus sulked - or at least what seemed to Tsuna to be sulking, although Xanxus would kill him if he ever mentioned that.

* * *

— _11 years ago from present_

"What? Me? Babysitter? I mean, tutor?" Tsuna stood in front of the Ninth boss of Vongola, dumbfounded.

"If you would be so nice as to help me tutor Xanxus, yes... You said you didn't want a mafia-related job, right?"

"Yes, but... I've never been a tutor before." Tsuna then turned to look at the boy standing beside him. "He doesn't look too pleased either."

True to his words, the boy named Xanxus was frowning. "I don't need trash as tutors."

Excuse you! Who are you calling trash?

The Ninth laughed. "Do excuse him, Tsunayoshi. Xanxus, be a good boy, and don't scare him off like what you did to your other tutors, okay?"

After seeing Tsuna's face paled at his statement, the Ninth laughed again, and stood up to pat Tsuna on the back. "Don't worry, Tsuna. If you can handle the Arcobaleno, I'm sure you can handle him."

"..."

"Old man, he's a kid." Xanxus said, pointing to Tsuna.

_I don't need a kid to be telling me that!_

"Hahaha, don't underestimate him, Xanxus, Tsuna was known as one of most powerful men in the mafia."

Xanxus' eyebrows raised. "Oh really?"

"Not really…" Tsuna muttered under his breath. He then asked the Ninth, "What am I supposed to do, anyway?"

"Anything you want, either fighting, studies, or others. Just make sure he doesn't get into trouble."

You just want me to do the last thing, right? You just want a babysitter, right?

Tsuna sighed. "Alright, let's get started. Nice to meet you, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, and I'll be your babysi- tutor from now on. Please take care of me."

"Go away, scum."

Tsuna resisted the urge to smash Xanxus' face into the wall.

The feeling was probably mutual, though.

* * *

Honestly, if I didn't need some income at the moment, I would have killed this boy already, thought Tsuna.

"Can you stop calling me trash? At least call me teacher or Tsuna or something." Tsuna finally asked, while holding a Math textbook in hand. Unfortunately for Xanxus, he was unable to chase away Tsuna with whatever method he tried to use, including trying to burn him with his flames.

" _Mister_ trash, can I go and eat now?"

"You-" Tsuna was going to call him a brat, but swallowed his words in the end. "Okay, never mind, call me whatever you want…"

Later in the afternoon, Xanxus went directly to the training room, and Tsuna had no choice but to follow him.

"You just love fighting, don't you?" Tsuna questioned as he watched Xanxus practice with his guns.

"Shut up, trash." Xanxus said as he fired a shot in Tsuna's direction, but Tsuna gracefully dodged it. "Tch, if you're so powerful, why don't you fight me? If you lose, quit."

"Oh?" Tsuna raised an eyebrow at the challenge. "Alright. What if I win? Then I want you to be more obedient and actually listen to me."

"Tch. As if you would win." Even though Xanxus was only 13 years old, he was nearly as tall as Tsuna already, and could stare at him eye-to-eye.

"I would give you an advantage, seeing that you're less experienced. I won't use my flames, but you can. I might need a weapon though." Tsuna commented as he went forward to grab a sword.

Before Tsuna could reach the weapons area, however, Xanxus already fired a few shots at him.

Tsuna jumped away from the flames aimed at him, and reached out to grab a sword. "Impatient, aren't we?"

"You can't win me with a sword, scum."

"You are a hundred years too early to say that, kid."

Ten minutes later…

"So, you would be a good student from now on?" Tsuna asked as he peered at the boy lying on the floor, who was looking disheveled and was panting and perspiring, with a few shallow cuts around his body. On the other hand, Tsuna was completely unscathed, his breathing and heart rate the same as before.

Xanxus did not reply as he tried to reach his guns which were on the floor, slightly out of reach. Tsuna sighed as he went and picked up the guns and played with them. "Got a stubborn one, didn't I?"

* * *

— _One month later_

"If you want to use guns as your weapon, the most important thing is accuracy and how you handle the guns. If you can't hit the bullseye 10/10 with a normal gun, you shouldn't use your flames yet." Tsuna lectured.

Xanxus grumbled a little under his breath, a few words sounding distinctly like scum and trash, but continued to practice shooting with both his right and left hands.

"Right. I think you are okay to use your flames. The most crucial part would be trying to control the amount of flames you inject into the guns and also make the backward force the flames act on you to your advantage. Do you think you can use your guns to make you navigate around faster?"

"If I do this..." Xanxus replied as he shot his flames into empty air and managed to move in the opposite direction.

"Great, you get the concept. However, at high speed and power, it gets a bit hard to control your movements, so I want you to practice that."

"Where are you going?" Xanxus demanded as Tsuna was on his way to walk out of the training room. "Wouldn't it be faster if you fight with me?"

"Give your poor teacher some rest, don't you? The Vongola chefs are really good! Of course I'm going to take advantage of that and get some cake. Do you want some? No? I'll be back one hour later then! Don't burn the whole place down while I'm gone!"

"Damn trash." Xanxus muttered under his breath as Tsuna walked out the door.

"I heard that!" Tsuna called from outside the room, but continued his way to the kitchen.

"Tch!" Despite that, Xanxus practiced as Tsuna had ordered.

* * *

— _A few more months passed_

"You're leaving?" Xanxus asked, eyes widening slightly.

Tsuna tilted his head. "Why look so shocked? Aren't you happy that I'll be gone? Who was the one who tried to chase me away earlier?" Tsuna paused for a second and a smug grin appeared on his face. "Unless, you're attached to me already?"

Xanxus threw a chair at Tsuna, trying to wipe that annoying grin off his face. "Shut up, trash."

"Hahaha, I'm just kidding." Tsuna walked forward to pat Xanxus on the head. "Don't make too much trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

Xanxus swatted Tsuna's hand away from his head, and turned his head away from Tsuna.

"Try not to kill anyone too, yeah? Oh, and I even got you a present. Here, I thought it would fit you."

Tsuna gave him the red feathers as hair accessories, but Xanxus threw them onto the ground. "I don't need any presents."

Tsuna shrugged, as if having expected the reaction. "Whatever, I got to go. Don't miss me too much!"

Xanxus threw a book at him as he left.

* * *

— _Nine years before present_

"Tsu-chan~! Why are you here?" Lussuria ran forward to hug Tsuna when the latter entered the doors of the Varia Headquarters.

Tsuna nimbly escaped the hug and asked, "Is Viper in?"

"Tsuna, how many times must I tell you, it's Mammon now." Mammon said as he floated into the entrance hall Tsuna and Lussuria were in.

Tsuna gave him an apologetic smile. "Habits are hard to change."

"Tsu-chan, don't ignore me~ Are you going to find Boss?" Lussuria butted in.

Tsuna shook his head. "I shan't disturb him. I'm actually looking for Viper for his chains…" He turned to look at Mammon.

Mammon held out his hand. "Payment to my account, please."

Tsuna blinked innocently. "You know how broke I am, Viper."

Mammon's hand remained held out.

"Vi~per~ Pretty pretty please? After all these years of knowing you, I'm still less important than money? When you can't buy me with money? I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm worth more than that." Tsuna blinked his large doe eyes, with the hurt, kicked puppy look at full force.

Mammon remained adamant, already too used to Tsuna's tricks. "Nothing is going to happen without money-"

Lussuria, on the other hand, was not so immune to Tsuna's cute looks. "Aww!"

"VOIII! What's with this noise downstairs! The Boss is trying to take a nap!" Squalo came in shouting at the top of his lungs. Or maybe that was his normal volume.

"Hi, Squalo." Tsuna waved, slightly cringing at the loud voice. Wasn't it Squalo who was making the most noise?

True to his words, one could immediately hear Xanxus shouting from upstairs, "Shut up, scums!"

"Damn boss!" Squalo shouted back. Then he turned his attention to Tsuna. "Tsuna! Why are you here?"

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders. "Just asking Viper for some charity."

Squalo scoffed. "Him? Charity? Even if it's you, Tsuna, you won't be getting anything from him."

Tsuna sighed. "I know. Alright Viper, keep in under my tab, I'll return you later. Let me have the chain first."

"Money-" Mammon held out his hand.

"Viper." Tsuna gave him something that seemed to be a glare.

Mammon closed his mouth, and obediently handed Tsuna a chain.

"Ushishishishi, even Mammon is afraid of someone." Belphegor suddenly came in, joining the crowd.

Tsuna wrapped the chain around his orange pacifier. "Thanks a lot, Viper. And hello to you too, Bel."

"Ushishi, hello, Tsunayoshi-chan."

Tsuna jerked a little at the greeting. "Somehow you calling me 'chan' gives me creeps."

Squalo rolled his eyes. "I think he just likes to see you uncomfortable."

"Ahaha, that's funny. I've got to go now." Tsuna inched further and further away from the crazy squad.

Lussuria pouted. "Leaving so soon? I've only got to see you for one second, and you are going to disappear? Who am I going to hug later? No one here is huggable at all."

"You better not let Boss hear it…" Squalo muttered under his breath.

"Why are you here, trash?" Speak of the devil. Xanxus came strolling down the stairs, followed by Levi.

"Uh, hi, Xanxus, and Levi." Tsuna greeted. "Good to see you too?"

"Mou, I'm sure Boss misses you a lot too, Tsu-chan."

There was an awkward silence after Lussuria spoke, then a wine bottle came crashing into his head.

You totally shouldn't have said that, Lussuria. The thought went through everyone's head, except maybe Xanxus and Levi's.

Tsuna gave an awkward laugh in a desperate attempt to diffuse the tension. "I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, Xanxus." Honestly, Tsuna could swear that Xanxus' temper got worse and worse each time he met him. "Anyway, I won't be disturbing you anymore. Have a nice day."

"Aren't you at least going to eat dinner with us?" Lussuria asked from his position on the floor, with wine bottle pieces still stuck in his hair.

"Uh…" Tsuna resisted the urge to stuff a wine bottle into Lussuria's mouth too.

"VOIII! Just eat with us, Tsuna! I'm sure Boss won't mind, right, Boss?" Squalo turned to look at Xanxus.

Xanxus didn't say anything, and walked towards the direction of the kitchen. At least for Xanxus, silence meant consent.

"Alright…" Tsuna reluctantly accepted, while being certain that he was definitely going to regret this horrible decision later.

Indeed, dinner at the Varia's was like having a dinner in Hell, except that maybe even Hell was slightly better than this.

* * *

— _Ten Years Later_

"We, the Vongola, are always as one." Xanxus' eyes remained cold and hard, as he shot his final blow.

He watched Rasiel's body finally turn into dust and disappear with the wind.

Xanxus slumped back into his chair even further, obviously uncaring of the enemies he had just defeated.

 _Help take care of the Vongola,_ was his last words, with the same irritating and annoying smile on his face.

Xanxus twirled his guns in his hands as he sat on his throne, wondering where that trash was right now.

* * *

**Choice**

"Vongola Decimo. Would you help us escape?" Tsuna's voice rang out behind Yuni.

"Tsuna!" Cried Ietsu.

"Oya. So you've always been lying to me, Tsunayoshi-chan and Yuni-chan. You've never been controlled by me, have you? That was good acting, I must give it to you."

Byakuran's mouth curled into a smirk as his eyes swept over the Vongola group, pausing for a few more seconds compared to others when his gaze was on Reborn. "Dear, dear, but I would be so lonely if you leave, Tsu-kun. Who would stay with me on my bed, then? Who would I talk to when I couldn't sleep at night? Who do I hug when-"

Byakuran was interrupted when a bullet was fired at him, and he could only narrowly avoid it in time, but a shallow cut formed on his face.

Reborn was holding his gun, his killing aura so strong that the people around him automatically moved a step away from him. A vein was going to burst on his forehead if Byakuran continued talking.

Byakuran's smirk did not drop from the injury he received, but instead it became wider. "You don't need to be jealous of my beautiful looks, Sun Arcobaleno. Even if you destroyed my whole face, I'm sure Tsunayoshi will still love me."

Byakuran reached out to touch Tsuna's face to prove his point, to which Tsuna sidestepped away.

"You-" Reborn wanted to rebut something else, but Tsuna suddenly spoke up.

"... I'm right here, you know?" Tsuna resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He then turned to Byakuran. "No matter what you say, I'm going to take the pacifiers with me as I leave."

Byakuran's eyes turned harder and colder. "Are you sure, Tsunayoshi? Using your life to exchange for theirs, it's not really worth it, is it? Not that I'd let you leave, for that matter. Do you think you can escape me? I will always find you. You, and the pacifiers."

Tsuna gave a smile without any emotions. "If that's what you think, then so be it."

Byakuran narrowed his eyes.

"Byakuran-sama, do not worry, we will take Tsuna-sama back immediately. Tsunayoshi-sama, if you do not want your acquaintances to get hurt, I advice you not to have any futile resistance." Kikyo spoke up, and started his attacks towards the Vongola.

In the midst of all the fighting, the smoke cleared to reveal Hibari and Squalo.

"Hibari-san and Squalo?" Ietsu exclaimed.

"Well, now we have these fighting maniacs to help us fight, it's best if we leave now." Tsuna piped in, while pushing Yuni and Ietsu away from Byakuran.

Hibari and Squalo turned around to glare at Tsuna. "I'm not wrong, Kyoya and Squalo." Tsuna muttered in response to their glare.

Byakuran smirked. "Do you think I'll let you go so easily? With the Vongola rings, the pacifiers, and the most important person related to the Tri-ni-set? Yuni-chan, you too, what do you think will happen to the Black Spell when you leave?"

Tsuna flashed him a smile. "Fret not, we've taken care of that already. I repeat my suggestion: let's run, NOW."

Dino appeared soon after, and gave the same suggestion as Tsuna.

"That one is too strong, Zakuro," Kikyo lectured him, "Byakuran-sama doesn't want Tsunayoshi-sama to be hurt."

"Alright," Tsuna whispered, "Everyone run in front of me, I'll be the shield. I doubt they will try to hurt me now they realize I'm so very important."

As the whole group ran, Reborn jumped on Tsuna's shoulders. "What makes you think it was a good idea to go find Byakuran, _alone_? He's definitely a fox in disguise. Before you know it, he would have eaten you up already."

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Please don't sound as if you are more worried for my chastity than for my life." Tsuna paused, and a playful smile surfaced on his face. "We did sleep on the same bed, though..."

"You what!"

"It's up to your imagination..." Tsuna chuckled. "Is that really the thing you want to say the most?"

"Tch. Don't expect me to say something mushy. The goosebumps both of us would have will be so much that it will kill us."

Tsuna laughed, then turned so he could face Reborn. "It's been a long time since we last met." Tsuna had the same smile as Reborn remembered, as if ten years had not passed. But ten years did pass, and Reborn would think that Tsuna looked wearier than before.

Nonetheless, Reborn returned a slight, reassuring one back.

* * *

**Omake**

"What?" Tsuna threw the piece of paper onto the floor. "Infiltrate into a party and assassinate a person? Then why do I have to be the female?"

Reborn replied, "Because it is a party for couples, so obviously we need females to be our partners in order to infiltrate."

"But we have a female right here! Right, Lal?" Tsuna turned expectantly to Lal.

Lal just gave him a look that said, no way in hell.

Verde spoke up for her, "Well, first, Lal is not the type to be going for parties. We would blow our covers. Even if she did go, we would also need more pretend couples to better fit in."

Tsuna resisted the urge to flip the table and throw everyone out of the window. "Why me? Skull, you do it!"

"Pff!" Everyone laughed as they tried to imagine Skull dressed in an evening gown.

"Tsuna! Of course the Great Skull isn't going to wear that! And why are all of you laughing?" Skull said, scandalized.

Tsuna turned to Fon, who was thought to be one of the more sane ones within the Arcobaleno and waited for his response.

"Well," Fon coughed into his hands, "I'm sorry, Tsuna, but I think they are right too. It would be awkward if Lal has to act lovey-dovey with Reborn too."

"Yeah," Reborn snaked an arm around Tsuna's waist. "Won't you be jealous if I have to pretend to be lovers with other people too?"

Tsuna pushed Reborn away, before the others sued them for public display of affection. "Oh, goddamnit, but there's no way in hell I am going to do that."

When it was six against one, however, Tsuna had to give in eventually. Anyway, with everyone's capabilities, it would be no surprise if Tsuna woke up one day and found that he was suddenly in the middle of the party dressed up as a girl.

When no one knew how to do make up, they somehow brought Shamal in, since Shamal seemed well-versed enough for this kind of things.

Tsuna was just annoyed that there was an additional person now to laugh at his pitiful plight.

At the end of everything, everyone will remain silent on the fact that they just wanted to see Tsuna in a dress as they made hundreds of replicates of the photos they had requested from a professional photographer. Viper was secretly selling the photos in the future (mostly to the Vongola and the others), and earning lots of money. The huge profits the photos brought in were partially the reason why Viper was more lax on Tsuna's debts.

Of course, they will all bring the secret to their graves before Tsuna went on a rampage.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, Yuni is not the Sky Arcobaleno. She is still the Boss of the Giglio Nero Famiglia, and Giglio Nero and the Gesso Famiglias merged. So the choice arc happened the same way as canon other than the fact that Yuni is not the Sky Arcobaleno.
> 
> Note: For Spanner I'm following the anime version, so they went back to the Namimori base together. Let's go for artistic license, haha. (It's been so long since I last touch KHR so I would just base this off my vague memory.) Spanner is probably OOC but what is his canon character anyway, oh dear. If he's too deadpan then there's nothing left to write I guess. ((Now he became a Murasakibara who is obsessed with sweets ahaha very funny.))

**Spanner**

Tsuna knocked on the door before entering the room. "Spanner, sorry for disturbing your work, but do you want some sweets? I've made some with Kyoko and Haru and the kids."

"It's okay." Spanner looked up from his computer before looking back down again immediately and continued typing. "Oh, you're the Sky Arcobaleno. Thank you."

"Just call me Tsuna." Tsuna smiled warmly as he set the tray of sweets down on the table beside Spanner, and peered at Spanner's screen. "Oh, what are you doing? Are you investigating flames?"

Spanner looked up from the screen once again to stare at Tsuna. "You are from the Vongola too?"

Tsuna shook his head as he sat down on the chair beside Spanner. (We will ignore the fact that Tsuna lack all the Japanese manners, sitting down without being invited.) "Not really, but Vongola Primo is my ancestor, so I do have Vongola blood and flames."

"Really?" Spanner's eyes were filled with surprise, then pondered on this new experimental subject in front of him. "Can you do the X-burner like the Vongola Decimo too?"

Tsuna shook his head once again. "After becoming the Sky Arcobaleno, it's impossible for me to use flames anymore."

Spanner looked disappointed, and Tsuna handed him a sweet to cheer him up. "Sorry, but I may know some information about the flames that others don't though. If you need any help, do feel free to ask me."

"Thanks for your offer." Spanner popped the sweet into his mouth and then his eyes widened. "It's strawberry flavoured."

Tsuna smiled at Spanner's childish delight with the sweets. "You like strawberry? It's one of my favourites."

Spanner nodded, and reached out his hand to reach out for another sweet. "It's my favourite."

"Glad you like it." Tsuna watched as Spanner gorged all the sweets.

"It's delicious." Spanner licked his fingers after finishing the last sweet, his computer and the topic of flames completely forgotten. "You can make sweets?"

"A little, yeah." Tsuna was generally well-versed in cooking. After all, he had many years to learn that skill, and he enjoyed cooking too.

"I've always wanted to marry a Yamato nadeshiko who can make me good Japanese food." Spanner stared at Tsuna's face and spoke up.

"Ahaha, is that so?" Tsuna inched away at the sudden remark and Spanner's unsettling stare with a sense of foreboding, his intuition telling him that something unexpected was going to happen.

True to Tsuna's thoughts, the next sentence that came out of Spanner's mouth was definitely unexpected and out of the blue. Well, perhaps it wasn't so unfamiliar, and it felt like something similar happened before as indicated by the feeling of déjà vu. "But you fit the most important criterion, which is able to cook, so I think you're fine as my wife."

"Can't your Mini Mosca make food for you too?" Tsuna questioned, fearing for his long-gone sanity once again.

 _Was that a proposal?_ Tsuna hoped it better not be.

Spanner blinked innocently. "But your food taste so much better, and I will never be able to program it to cook as well as you."

"… That's nice." Tsuna finally said. "I'm not a Yamato nadeshiko, I can assure you. I know other people who can cook better, why not I introduce you to them one day?"

"Hmmm…" Spanner stared at Tsuna a bit longer. "I'm sure you'd be a good wife."

"I'm actually… uh… married…" Tsuna suddenly blurted out the lie, then froze and immediately regretted his decision.

"Really?" Spanner raised his eyebrow. "To Byakuran-sama? You look underage… Is Byakuran-sama secretly a pedophile?" Spanner rubbed his chin as he wondered.

"Ha?" If Tsuna were drinking a cup of water at the moment, he would have spit the water all over Spanner's face. He did have the urge to pour a cup of water onto Spanner's head to clear his mind, though.

 _Doesn't that make you a pedophile too?_ Tsuna internally screamed, but kept his calm composure on the exterior because he had the dignity of the boss of Arcobaleno, the most powerful Mafioso, to maintain.

"You ran away though, didn't you? Did you two divorce already? I can marry you now, right?" Spanner asked.

"What!" Tsuna had enough of craziness in one day, and stormed out of the room before he killed the person in front of him.

"Maybe he's shy…" Spanner mumbled to himself while staring the tray Tsuna forgot to bring back, before turning back to his computer screen. "He's cute, though. No wonder Byakuran-sama was so obsessed with him."

* * *

**Lal**

It had been a long time since Tsuna last seen Lal. Or at least the adult version of Lal.

"Is it okay if you pass me Colonello's pacifier? I know you-"

Lal shook her head and brought out a box to give to Tsuna. "No, it's fine. Here."

Tsuna smiled. "Thanks. I'll take care of it."

"I know you will." Lal paused and turned her attention away from the blue pacifier and to Tsuna. "Hey, Tsuna. Are you going to…?"

"To…?" Tsuna averted his eyes away from Lal's burning gaze. "What do you mean?"

"... You know what I mean."

"..." This was one of the rare cases where Tsuna did not know the appropriate response to give someone.

Lal held Tsuna's shoulders and shook him slightly. "You do realise that it's not your fault that the Arcobaleno became this way? It's because of Byakuran. You don't have to feel guilty over anything."

Tsuna looked up to stare into Lal's eyes, his own eyes cold and hard. "But I'm your 'boss'. I was supposed to protect all of you, not watch you die."

"No, please don't feel responsible for the Arcobaleno in that way. Nothing could have prevented any of that from happening. I'm sure you have been putting a lot on yourself, so don't-"

"Did you feel the same way when Colonello died? Do you not feel responsible or guilty? Felt that you could have just done _something_ that could have changed the outcome?"

Lal uncharacteristically bit her lower lip. "... Tsuna…"

"Sorry-" Tsuna suddenly stepped back and looked back down. "That was unkind of me. I shouldn't have said that. I know we all feel upset about what happened; you don't have to comfort me."

"At least… I want to tell you that I don't blame you for anything, and I'm sure neither do the others." Lal reached out to hold Tsuna's hand into her own. "Everything is up to you to decide, of course. I just thought I wanted to talk to you."

Lal squeezed his hand. "Remember that we all… care a lot for you, alright?"

Tsuna finally gave a small smile and held Lal's hands in return. "Yeah. Thanks."

* * *

**TYL Tsuna**

"Let's talk, Tsuna." Reborn pulled him away from the rest of the crowd when they were camping outside.

The candlelight which Reborn was holding onto flickered.

"Are you going to talk about what I think you are going to talk about?" Tsuna raised one of his eyebrow.

"What do you think I am going to talk about?" Reborn answered, replying in the same way Tsuna had asked his question.

Tsuna resisted his urge to roll his eyes at Reborn's answer. "I don't know, you were the one who wanted to talk."

"What you said earlier… The final battle… After dawn?" Reborn raised his head to stare directly into Tsuna's eyes.

Tsuna held Reborn's gaze for a few seconds, before affirming, "Yes."

"And after that? You are going to send us back to the past?" Reborn demanded.

Tsuna nodded, and frowned, trying to see what Reborn was driving at exactly. "Well, yes. We'll have to send you back right? Ietsu was so adamant about it too. Don't you want to go back too?"

Reborn's eyes hardened. "At what price?"

"Um…" Tsuna hesitated, eyes darting away, as if there was something eating at his conscience. "The Arcobaleno needs to be revived, so…"

"…" Reborn said nothing, and waited for Tsuna to continue.

Tsuna looked up again and gave a halfhearted smile. "So… You know the price, right?"

A solemn air settled around them. Reborn gripped the candle holder tighter. "I do."

"That's just it." Tsuna ran his hand through his messy brown hair, and tilted his head at Reborn. "I'm sure we all know the outcome, don't we?"

Reborn removed his fedora and set it on the ground. "You knew it all along, didn't you? Like the previous time too… Every single time, you knew what is going to happen, yet you just went along with it, taking everything all by yourself."

A wan smile tugged at Tsuna's lips. "Everything is fate, and we can hardly change it by ourselves. So what if I knew and told everyone? It doesn't bring any good to the world."

Reborn let out a barely noticeable sigh. "I know."

"I…" Tsuna took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Reborn blinked and looked up to meet Tsuna's eyes. Upon sensing Tsuna's uneasiness, Reborn's eyes softened. "What do you have to apologize for? I'm the one who should be sorry for everything."

Tsuna laughed, but it was not because what Reborn had said was funny. "You? If you have to go into that, perhaps it's your future self who's supposed to apologize, not you." Being reminded of the ten-years-later Reborn made the atmosphere tenser - as if it wasn't tense enough before - and Tsuna's eyes darkened.

"Apologize for…?" Reborn repeated after Tsuna. "Apologize for leaving you behind?"

Tsuna took a sharp breath, probably not expecting Reborn to be so direct and harsh on his words. However, he soon relaxed his shoulders and smiled as usual. "Perhaps…"

Tsuna rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Ever heard of the five stages of grief? I guess it was something like that. I did blame the future you… him… Felt some resentment and anger, and he probably does owe me an apology, but…" Tsuna's eyes turned distant and a bitter smile appeared on his face. "… Am I not the same? I guess we are even now, and we don't owe each other anything anymore."

Tsuna then chuckled. "Till this day, we are still so similar, huh."

Reborn narrowed his eyes. "What are you going to do with him, then? Revive him… and…"

Tsuna smiled. "And? He will continue living in a world without Byakuran, of course. Continue helping the Vongola, continue to be the world's greatest hitman. What else can the great Reborn do?"

Reborn returned a self-mocking smile. "Without Byakuran… and without you."

"The future you…" Tsuna bowed his head down, as if in deep thought. "Will come back to a world without me. Indeed."

"Then he'd probably rather remain dead. _I'd_ rather remain dead."

"You are very stubborn, you know that?" Tsuna sighed in exasperation. "He is too." Tsuna's hands cupped over the area in front of his chest where he had kept the pacifiers. "He is rejecting my life flames. How obstinate. He's only making my job more difficult."

Reborn smirked. "I guess we are."

Tsuna knocked Reborn's forehead with his knuckles to knock the irritating smirk off Reborn's face.

"Maybe we just don't want to live in a world without you." Reborn added suddenly.

Tsuna froze, "Don't pretend that you don't understand."

Reborn blinked his wide and black eyes. "Understanding and accepting are two different things."

"I cannot… I _must_ do this," Tsuna responded. "It is my obligation, my duty. Only when I die, will the Arcobaleno be revived and you guys can go back. It is the Sky Arcobaleno's job. We all knew this from the start. All the other Arcobaleno had already perished, so what's the point of me continue living when the world doesn't have the rest of the Arcobaleno to maintain its balance?"

Reborn smiled. "There is always this point in life where we finally realised that life isn't fair at all."

 _Life's never fair,_ Tsuna thought.

"The past me must be worried sick… with all of the people disappearing." Tsuna suddenly said.

"You should return to him as soon as possible. You belong to Sawada Tsunayoshi of ten years ago, and I…" Tsuna trailed off. "It doesn't really matter, does it? Please go home, for him… for me."

"I will..." Reborn said, eyes hardening, "...be home."

Tsuna nodded, reassured. "Let me tell something that will benefit my past self."

Reborn raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Tsuna locked his eyes with Reborn's. "Do you know? Love shouldn't be stopped because of anything. If two person are in love, regardless of the race, age, appearance, gender, nothing should obstruct them from being together."

Reborn tilted his head to one side, debating whether he knew or did not know where this was going, and waited for Tsuna to continue his spontaneous speech.

Tsuna took a breath and carried on. "So Reborn, no matter how you look, you'll still be Reborn, and I would still feel the same way towards you. Please remember that. Whether or not we are Arcobaleno, feelings and emotions do not change that easily."

Reborn smiled at the seemingly confession. "Is that so."

Tsuna nodded. "We are very similar, right? We are all extremely stubborn people too."

Tsuna continued, "I've realised that we were too stubborn for our own good. Life is short; perhaps not for us, but I think it's time to put away the past and start anew. What's the point of dwelling in the past? The present and future is more important.

"The past me cares for you too… Nothing ever changes, so please don't wait until it's too late, wait until we are both destined to die then you realise it. Please... don't have any regrets. This world has too many, and I wish that when you go back - I'm sure you can - please stop pushing me away."

Reborn looked up to meet Tsuna's gaze. "Is that your wish?"

Tsuna spared him an intent look. "Life doesn't wait for us. I don't want the both of us to die with regrets." Tsuna dipped his head. "I think we have both lived too long, and we have seen and been through many things. It's ironic that we don't actually understand the most important things in life, huh? Weren't we supposed to be wise?"

"I would think that we both are childish at heart, Arcobaleno's curse be damned." Reborn replied.

Tsuna smiled at Reborn's response, but continued, "Perhaps I was incredibly naive too, when we were younger. Sweet, innocent relationships with a happy ending don't exist, no? I can't believe that I thought that something would last forever."

Reborn's eyes hardened, then turned teasing the next second. "It's amazing such a pure heart survived in the mafia world."

Tsuna chuckled, but became serious as he looked Reborn in the face. "But I'm glad. My life had many regrets, but meeting you was definitely not one of them."

Tsuna held his face up and stared at the sky. "If everything had to start all over again, I would still have chosen to become the Sky Arcobaleno, and met you."

Reborn smiled and nodded. "...Me too. But am I the one you should be telling this to?"

Tsuna tilted his head and let out a laugh. "You're right. I should be saying all of this to him. But is there a point? I want to tell him so many things, but I don't know how to open my mouth.

"I wish you can get your happy ending." Tsuna shook his head while locking his eyes with Reborn's. "No. I believe you can get your happy ending."

Reborn said softly, "You can, too. Get your happy ending, I mean."

"Maybe," Tsuna smiled, "In another life, perhaps. If I don't, I just hope you can have my happy ending for me, alright?"

"Even if we were not together, I've always wanted you to be happy." Reborn confessed what had been on his mind since they parted.

"That's good to know. I hope that you know I feel the same way." Tsuna responded.

Reborn smiled, and gave no reply.

"Actually," Tsuna started, "I'm not afraid of death, so please don't be sad that I must sacrifice myself."

"That's easy to say, but hard to execute." Reborn murmured.

"I know, but it's better if I said it now. I only have one last most important regret… I really want to meet the Reborn of this world one last time." Tsuna bit his lower lip. "Alas, sadly time doesn't wait for us. The end is approaching… and it's time for you to go home."

The first ray of light shone through the leaves of the trees as they prepared for the final battle, and the night died away.

* * *

_Meeting you was the happiest thing in my life, so I have no regrets._

_Dying doesn't hurt, not for the dead._

_Just think that I've gone away on a long trip. After all, we've been separated for years too…_

_Death... only hurts the living._

* * *

**Omake (with Adult Reborn)**

"I heard you are married, huh?" Reborn approached Tsuna one day. "You didn't even want to invite me to your wedding?"

"What… what wedding…?" Tsuna stuttered as Reborn cornered him and forced him against the wall.

"With Byakuran, too, huh?" The aura around Reborn was deadly, and everyone within the vicinity scattered away, though they had wanted to stay to watch the drama unfold.

"No… no… Nothing happened…" Tsuna shook his head.

"Byakuran said you two slept on the same bed?" Reborn continued, smiling. The smile sent a chill down Tsuna's spine, like Reborn was staring at his target before shooting him. Though, Reborn was indeed going to kill him after this. "Had your honeymoon already? Did you enjoy it?"

Tsuna continued shaking his head, desperate to state his innocence. "It was just… a joke… We aren't together…"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. You are becoming bolder and bolder with your relationships, no? Yesterday it was who? Hibari Kyoya? Or was it Rokudo Mukuro? And today, Byakuran? Do you want to be punished that badly?"

"Ahhh! …Reborn! Noooo!" Tsuna covered his head and ran away, with Reborn chasing after him with his gun, and the sound of gunshots ringing across the room. "Somebody help meeeee! I swear that I'm innocent!"


	11. Chapter 11

**TYL Mukuro**

— _Seven years later from present_

"Kufufu, we meet again, Sky Arcobaleno."

The sudden possession of Chrome by Mukuro didn't stop Tsuna from his cooking in the Vongola kitchen.

"Hello, Mukuro. Do you want to eat something too?" Tsuna didn't even bother to look up at the addition of the voice of another person, different from the one he was previously chatting with.

Chrome was in the kitchen looking for food before Mukuro appeared. "Perhaps Chrome was hungry."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow as he scooped out the food into two plates and turned to walk towards the dining table Mukuro was sitting at. "And you're not?"

Mukuro inspected the plate of spaghetti placed in front of him. "I don't get hungry, Sky Arcobaleno."

Tsuna ignored him, and took out the cutleries. "So why are you here?"

A smile appeared on Mukuro's face. "I was just going to send a report to Vongola, but it seems like Chrome is here. Did you miss me, Sky Arcobaleno?"

"Oh?" Tsuna twisted a small bundle of spaghetti with his fork. "How was your mission?"

"Nothing much. Apparently there are some small families which are rising up. Vongola wants me to check on some of them."

Tsuna put the spaghetti into his mouth and chewed as he listened. "I see."

"It was the usual." Mukuro leant forward. "I'm just looking forward to coming here to possess you or the Vongola Decimo."

A small frown marred Tsuna's features as he enjoyed his meal. "You still haven't given up on that?"

"I am still waiting for my revenge, Sky Arcobaleno." Mukuro replied.

"Hmm~" Tsuna went back to twirling his spaghetti. "You say that, but you're here helping out with the Vongola."

"Revenge is a dish best served cold." Mukuro smirked. "It'd be easier to exact my revenge when your guard is down."

"Is that so," Tsuna smirked, "I'll be waiting for that day then; for your satisfying revenge."

"You're always so calm, Sky Arcobaleno," Mukuro rested his chin on his right palm as he pondered, "Does nothing break your façade?"

Tsuna laughed, his eyes filled with mirth. "Façade? What do you mean?"

"Perhaps the Sun Arcobaleno could?" Mukuro suggested the answer to his own question.

Tsuna smiled, and said nothing.

Silence descended in the room as Tsuna continued to dig into his food, while Mukuro stayed there watching him, his report left forsaken at the back of his mind.

"Is it good?" Tsuna suddenly looked up from his plate and asked.

"Hmm?" Mukuro paused in mid-motion, and realised he was subconsciously holding a fork and eating the spaghetti in front of him.

Mukuro grinned as he savoured the taste left in his mouth. "Why yes, it is."

* * *

**The Final Battle**

In the strong barrier of Sky Flames, Byakuran greeted Tsuna with a smile. "Tsunayoshi-kun? What do you plan to do with the pacifiers?"

Tsuna returned him a blank stare. "Nothing."

As he was talking, there were some movements, and before Tsuna could do anything, the pacifiers fell out of his pockets.

"What? Do you really plan to revive them?" Byakuran smiled wider, narrowing his eyes.

Tsuna locked his eyes with Byakuran's purple ones, before bending down to pick the pacifiers up. "None of your business."

Byakuran laughed. "That's not very nice, Tsunayoshi-kun. After all the things I've done to keep you alive?"

"You just want me to help you use the Tri-ni-set," replied Tsuna in his deadpan voice.

Byakuran tapped his chin, smiling once more, "That may be true, but you shouldn't doubt the feelings I have for you."

Tsuna tilted his head and smiled, "Whoever said I did?"

"Uh huh." Byakuran grinned and looked over to where Ietsu was lying. "Don't you think you have placed too much faith on the young Vongola Decimo?"

"Don't underestimate your enemies, Byakuran," replied Tsuna.

Byakuran gave his usual foxy smile, and he turned his attention to the pacifiers which Tsuna was holding onto with his hands. "So you are going to revive the Arcobaleno… at the price of your life?"

A few gasps ran through the crowd.

"Sacrifice his life?" Yuni's eyes widened.

The other girls also expressed their shock.

Tsuna then sensed glares shooting his way, especially from those who never commented. His eyes swept through the crowd and met Xanxus' and Hibari's.

Talk about burning glares.

"Hurh hurh." Tsuna covered his mouth to cover his chuckles. "I would appreciate it if you didn't put it across so bluntly."

A sudden burst of orange flames covered Tsuna and Tsuna closed his eyes to concentrate.

"Stop it, Tsunayoshi-kun! Before I lose my patience with you!" Byakuran walked forward to attempt to grab Tsuna's arms.

Tsuna's eyes suddenly opened, and some orange flames burst forward to prevent Byakuran from coming nearer. "It's already too late."

"Tsuna."

Tsuna glanced at Reborn. "If this succeeds, the past me won't have to do this. You should be glad."

Reborn wanted to smile. He wanted to laugh. Of course he knew that Tsuna was right.

But so what if he was right?

Yes, the world wasn't fair. He knew that. This Tsuna's sacrifice was necessary, so that everyone, including the past Tsuna, could live in a better world. There weren't even choices available for them to choose from. This was set since the very beginning. He knew that.

So what?

Did that mean that he had to stand here and watch him die?

Reborn was smiling. He knew he was.

Because the answer was _yes._

* * *

_I told him I would rather die for him, than live in a world without him._

_He smiled and said, "Live well."_

_I smiled back, and found that it was not the world which was cruel to me, it was he whom wished the best for me._

* * *

Tsuna turned to look at Ietsu who was panting from exhaustion on the ground. "You'll be a good boss for the Vongola, I'm sure."

"No! Tsuna, don't!" Ietsu struggled to get up, trying to reach Tsuna.

"Since I have never said it and probably will never have the chance to anymore…" Tsuna smiled and his eyes locked into a gaze with Reborn's.

"Ti amo."

The last words spoken were soft and light, but the wind carried it away. Tsuna's smile never wavered.

"I…" The wind blew stronger, and all the words that Reborn wanted to convey were deemed inaudible due to the sudden, blustery wind.

Reborn pulled his fedora down to prevent it from being blown away, and no one could see his expression from afar, as Tsuna disappeared along with the wind, leaving only his clothes and pacifier behind, which landed on the ground.

* * *

_You once asked me what happiness was, and I replied, "Living with you."_

_You then asked me what sadness was, and I told you, "Living without you."_

* * *

— _Forty years ago_

"Have you ever cried before?" Tsuna poked Reborn's face as he asked, trying to mentally conjure an image of Reborn sobbing like a kid in his mind, then tried to control his laughter.

Reborn looked up from the book he was reading. "Why the sudden question?"

Tsuna pouted and rested his chin on his hands. "I'm bored, and you're ignoring me."

Reborn rolled his eyes. "I'm reading a book. Don't you ignore me while you are reading a book too?"

Tsuna smiled. "But I want to talk to you now." He tugged at Reborn's sleeve. "You haven't answered my question yet."

Reborn ignored him, and Tsuna proceeded to pull the book out of Reborn's hand, ignoring Reborn's protests and outrage. "Are you shy about this kind of questions, you evil hitman?" Tsuna mocked.

"Why are you so adamant about this topic? Do you like seeing people cry, you sadist?" Reborn crossed his arms, finally giving up on getting his book back.

"Hah," Tsuna scoffed, "Pot and kettle, you sadist."

"Tch." Reborn turned away, but the both of them both knew that Tsuna was right.

"So? So? Have you ever cried before?" Tsuna's huge eyes blinked repeatedly, with his face right in front of Reborn.

"No."

"Not even when you were a baby?" Tsuna's face edged closer to Reborn's.

"I can't remember." Reborn pushed Tsuna's way too close for comfort face away.

"Hmph! Excuses." Tsuna crossed his arms and turned his head away dramatically from Reborn.

Reborn smirked at Tsuna's childish action. "Then how about you?"

"Well…" Tsuna paused to think, "When I was young, I think I cried a lot."

"Crybaby." Reborn reached out his right hand to ruffle Tsuna's hair.

Tsuna made a face at Reborn while attempting to escape from Reborn's hand. "But when I got older, it seems like I don't cry anymore."

"Really?" Reborn asked while dragging the word out, clearly not convinced.

"Really!" Tsuna nodded indignantly. "Maybe it's because it's embarrassing to cry in front of people. Makes you feel like you are weak."

Reborn laughed and reached out his hand to ruffle Tsuna's fluffy head once more. "Crying doesn't make someone weak. If you want to cry, you should cry."

Tsuna swatted the intruding hand away. "Speak for yourself."

"Would you cry if I were to die?" Reborn inquired, eyes filled with interest.

Tsuna blinked. "What do you think?"

Reborn smirked. "Of course. You probably can't live without me."

Tsuna slapped Reborn's head. "Like real."

Reborn didn't avoid it in time, and had to rub the spot where Tsuna had hit. "If it's too sad for you, we can always die together."

Tsuna smiled, but it didn't seem like he took Reborn's words too seriously. "Right."

"Would you cry if I were to die, though?" Tsuna looked up and met Reborn's eyes as he asked.

"Hmm..." Reborn rested his chin on his palm as he thought. "I don't know."

Tsuna perked up. "So you mean there's a chance you would cry? I would like to see it."

Reborn frowned and knocked Tsuna on the forehead. "That means you have to die, idiot. Do you want to see me cry that much?"

Tsuna pressed his lips together. "I was just saying."

Tsuna sat up straight and continued, "You know, I've read a book, and in that world, when shikigami died, they will cry for the first and the last time before disappearing. Small pieces of paper like sakura petals will flutter down, and it'll be a beautiful scene to behold."

Tsuna smiled and looked at Reborn. "I think that's a good way to go. It's not easy to die a pretty death, you know?"

Reborn laughed. "That's easy to say, but how are you going to get paper floating down when you're dying?"

"Yes," Tsuna chuckled along. "Indeed, that is going to be difficult."

* * *

When Tsuna finally closed his eyes, there were no small pieces of paper or sakura petals flying around, to his utmost disappointment.

However, there was something that caught the sun's light from Tsuna's eyes, seeming suspiciously like water droplets, even though it wasn't raining.

* * *

_You once told me that we shouldn't meet again in our next life, for we bring more pain than happiness to each other._

_Yet even if I was covered in cuts and bruises, beaten black and blue, in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, I'd still find you and I'd still choose you._

* * *

**The remaining, and those left behind**

"Good job, Ietsu." Reborn said as the group of them reached the base.

Ietsu's head jerked up at the sudden encouragement, and gave a silly, wide smile. When he looked up at Reborn, however, he saw that Reborn was having a small smile on his face, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Ietsu blinked. "Are you upset…?"

Reborn stared at Ietsu.

"HIEE!" Ietsu rushed to cover his mouth, regretting the words that came out. "Sorry! I mean…"

"No, it's fine." Reborn cut him off. "You did well. Go celebrate with the rest of Vongola. We will depart for the past soon."

"You are not coming?" Ietsu questioned, then shook his head after a few seconds. "Ah! Alright, we will… I'll get going, then!"

Reborn nodded as he watched Ietsu ran off to find his guardians and smiled at Ietsu's words.

'Upset' didn't even manage to touch the tip of the ice berg of what he was feeling right now.

Reborn turned the other way and walked to the end of the corridor.

He reached out his hand to slide the door open.

The same room. The same arrangement.

It seemed as though nothing was touched, but the room somehow felt different.

Everything was the same as before, yet everything was different.

Maybe the room gave up on waiting for its master to come back.

Reborn stepped in and closed the door behind him.

As the door slid shut, a gush of wind blew in, and Reborn mused that it suddenly felt a little cold.

Which was odd, Reborn thought, he was never afraid of the cold.

He went to the table and pulled open the second drawer.

He took out the leather-bound book the second time, and tried to carve the texture of it into his mind as his fingers ran over it.

However, this time, he didn't open it.

He put it back in the drawer, and closed it.

The future Tsuna's memories and words, he will leave it for the future Reborn to have them.

Even though they were technically the exact same person, somehow it just didn't feel right to intrude upon the times that they shared.

Reborn dug around his pocket for the ring he had taken the previous time, and was glad to have not lost it during the many battles they had.

He held the ring between his fingers, and the words continued to shine against the light, even after so many years.

He opened the drawer once more, placed the ring carefully back beside the book, before closing the drawer again.

Reborn chose to sit down on the bed.

He stared at the ceiling. The ceiling was white.

He remembered that Tsuna said he liked the colour white after orange.

White meant innocence and purity.

White roses could mean an eternal love - a love stronger than death.

No, Reborn shook his head, neither Tsuna nor he believed in those kinds of sayings.

He also suddenly recalled that Byakuran's hair was white, too.

Oh. That wasn't really a pleasant memory.

Reborn didn't know how much time passed.

He didn't know how long he had spent sitting there, staring into blank space.

It was quite unlike him.

It didn't really matter, though, Reborn thought as he pressed his hand against the mattress as if testing out a bed before buying it.

Nothing actually mattered in the end.

Not when death was inevitable for life.

Finally, he decided it was time to leave, and he stood up. His legs felt slightly numb from sitting too long. In fact, his whole body felt a little numb.

As he was walking out of Tsuna's room, Reborn sensed a bullet coming his way, and immediately jumped away to avoid being in its course. Thank god his reflexes didn't deteriorate.

Reborn turned around only to find Colonello standing proudly with his rifle. "… Tch. You're back."

"Don't sound so unhappy, kora!" Colonello said in his usual brash voice as Reborn closed the door.

"What do you want?" Reborn sounded impatient.

"Is that the first thing you say to someone who just came back from the dead, kora?" Colonello replied haughtily.

"Well unfortunately, not everyone can come back from the dead like you." Reborn bit back.

That managed to shut Colonello up, which was surprising, because not even Lal could shut Colonello up.

Reborn gave Colonello one last look before walking away.

"What did you do again, Colonello? You just got back and you managed to anger him already?" This time it was Lal, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Colonello frowned. "I was just trying to-"

"It's alright." Reborn turned back to face the both of them. "You guys go celebrate or whatsoever. I'm sure Lal has a lot of things to say to Colonello."

Lal actually blushed slightly at Reborn's words. Colonello looked giddily happy.

Reborn resisted the urge to roll his eyes at their antics.

Reborn started, "Now, if you would excuse me-"

"We just wanted to… uh…" Lal interrupted him, but was at a loss of words at the end.

"There is no need for you to do anything." Reborn said it point-blank.

Lal hesitated. "He... wouldn't want you to be like this. I'm sure he-"

Reborn's head jerked up as his eyes bore into Lal. "He's dead! He could hardly _want_ something when he doesn't even _exist_ anymore-!"

"If he were here-" Lal continued.

Reborn cut her sentence short. "But he's _not_ here-"

"Enough talk, kora!" Colonello raised his voice, preventing the arguments from escalating, and turned to Reborn. "Let's get you back, kora! You should let what happened in this world stay in this world, and only this world's Reborn should feel…" Colonello suddenly trailed off.

"… But for you, you should treasure what you have right now." Lal butted in, elbowing Colonello to shut him up.

Reborn went silent. Finally, he nodded, his eyes hard but his voice was void of all emotions. "I will."

* * *

_The saddest part of human nature is that we only learn how to treasure something after we have lost it._

_Even though I never believed in forevers, I've always thought that we could have a tomorrow._

_But I forgot that sometimes… we don't have tomorrows.  
_

* * *

**The World, Ten Years Ago**

Tsuna was lying down on his couch when his door suddenly burst opened. He sat up immediately, wondering what was happening, with his mind running through different scenarios of how to defend himself if it was an attack.

When he saw the figure at the door, however, he could only blink.

After a few seconds of staring and blinking at the person, Tsuna finally managed to respond to the unexpected appearance. "Okaeri."

Reborn looked up and gazed back at Tsuna, his usual fedora on his head but it couldn't cover his burning eyes.

"Tadaima."

* * *

_I'm home, Tsuna._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why don't the paragraphs centralize properly when I copy over I'm so pissed. 
> 
> The 'book' on shikigami dying is actually 是ーZEー, a yaoi manga by Yuki Shimizu. Haha, I can't imagine Tsuna reading a yaoi manga, but :x It was a nice story and I absolutely loved the background and setting. It's a bit sad that it's not that popular, as it has its merits.
> 
> The scene where Tsuna dies was actually one of the first few scenes that came into my mind before I write this story ;u; so I was happy to finally get it out haha.
> 
> D'aww I love the ending (I'm so narcissistic ehem) and the use of my favourite Japanese phrases darn. I still remember watching Free! and when Haru came back from Australia, Makoto said 'Okaeri' and I just melted. Or the last episode of Natsume Yuujinchou where Natsume said 'Tadaima' when he stepped into the house and that was when one bloody word meant so much and I cried.
> 
> Tadaima – I'm home, Okaeri - welcome home
> 
> 'Ti amo' means I love you in Italian. Well, since it's the last time TYL Tsuna is going to say anything (gets run over by a car for being so harsh) I'm just going to let him say the sacred words. Heh.
> 
> Ietsu finally appeared. *wipes a tear from eyes* and ended up as plot device, once again.
> 
> White rose meaning taken from roseforlove dot com website.
> 
> I'm not exactly sure how it felt to love someone so much and have the person dying, but an analogy came into my mind at 1am in the morning:  
> You and I fell in love. We loved each other so much that we exchanged our hearts, literally. When you died, you dug from your chest and returned me my heart in your hands, and smiled and told me to be happy. Your heart died along with you in my chest. Now my chest has a gaping hole where your heart used to be, and when I tried to put my heart back in, it didn't fit anymore. So I now live with a gaping hole in my chest.  
> Okay I know it's very weird but it was one o'clock and it made sense as images in my head. It would be better as a comic but it would be really bloody.


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

**The Aftermath: Part I**

* * *

_Someone asked me, "If you had known the pain you will go through, would you still have done the same?"_

_I replied, "He could have pierced me in the heart, and I would still love him as much, for my heart was his to begin with, and his to be pained for."_

* * *

**Byakuran**

From the start, Byakuran knew he was never going to get Tsuna's heart. Somehow, even in all the parallel universes, where Tsuna was the Vongola Decimo, it was never him. Maybe it was Reborn, maybe it was Hibari, sometimes Mukuro even, but Byakuran and Tsuna never got a happy ending.

Every world, every time, Byakuran would fall hard, but Tsuna would always be out of reach.

Byakuran once heard a saying, that there were certain times when you first laid your eyes on someone which weren't considered to be first at love sight - it was just that you _knew_ falling in love with him was inevitable.

That was how Byakuran felt when he met Tsuna.

After he could see through the different parallel worlds, watching his other selves was like watching himself being obsessed with one brunet over and over again, repeatedly, never ending.

It was an interest which turned into the downward spiral of obsession, mixed with traces of hatred.

Byakuran hated Tsuna, for he made him feel emotions he had never felt before. Byakuran stood tall above other humans, he was different from the ordinary, so why could Tsuna make him feel jealousy, happiness and sadness all at once?

Those who stood at the top of the food chain shouldn't have emotions that would affect their decisions.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was a weakness, a weakness which could be fatal for Byakurans in all the worlds.

There were moments where Byakuran was just tempted to clamp Tsuna's thin, pale neck so he could focus on his plan to obtain the whole Tri-ni-set. Yet he couldn't.

Everything about Tsuna made Byakuran attracted to him, and as time went by, Byakuran could only be more interested in him.

It was like an inevitable fate; or rather, Byakuran would describe it as a curse.

Maybe Byakuran just liked being with Tsuna: Tsuna's presence was comforting, and Tsuna treated Byakuran like how he would treat anyone else, albeit being pissed most of the time. To Tsuna, Byakuran was an equal, and Tsuna was always blunt and true in his words.

Maybe it was the connection between the skies of the Tri-ni-set, for Tsuna said that sometimes he could feel what Byakuran was thinking and see what Byakuran could see in his dreams. Having the ability to view other worlds was not exactly a smooth sailing process, especially not when Byakuran often had abrupt flashes of memories which did not belong to the present him, and it was more tiring than he had expected.

Tsuna… Tsuna… It was always Tsunayoshi...

* * *

_I forgive you._

Those whispered words surrounded Byakuran as the heat of Ietsuna's flames buried him.

Tsunayoshi, that saint. Why? Why did it hurt more when you forgive me?

* * *

Was what he wanted so difficult to achieve? Byakuran wondered.

Did no one realize how messed up the world was?

Humans are so ugly, and the world was so utterly _boring_ ; what was the meaning of him living in this world if he couldn't change it?

He thought he was different from the other beings, he wanted to play the world like he was a chess master playing a game of chess, while everyone else would be his pawns, used to achieve his own means.

Little did he know that he had played himself into his own game.

It was a pity. He was so close to his goals, to finishing his plans, until that wild card called Sawada Tsunayoshi appeared, and messed up the pieces on the chessboard.

The world still remained as horrible as it was before, and as usual, it was plain and mundane.

* * *

Maybe at the end, his wish was simple.

He wanted to create a world, a world that was _right_ , and a world where he could be with Sawada Tsunayoshi.

* * *

**TYL Hibari**

When Hibari woke up, it was to a world without Sawada Tsunayoshi. Sawada Ietsuna was back, the world was at peace, but something seemed to be missing that turned the world monochrome-like.

* * *

He remembered how Tsunayoshi had smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back."

He had let him go then, yet when Tsuna's hand slipped away from his own, it somehow felt like Tsunayoshi was going to disappear into the air the moment he walked away.

But he still let him go, for Hibari Kyoya was one without sentimental feelings, the aloof cloud, and that will never change.

* * *

Tsuna was like sand, the harder you grip, the more he will disappear. However, at the end of the day, no matter how hard or gently you try to grab the sand, it would slip through the cracks between your fingers anyway.

* * *

Tsunayoshi had been so melancholic in the past, especially after that baby died.

Whenever one of the Arcobaleno dies, a little bit of light left his eyes, and it was as if a piece of him died along with them. Yet Hibari still see him smiling, but Tsunayoshi's smiles made him feel like there were many Rolls rolling in his heart.

One day, Hibari didn't know why he did that, but he finally told that miserable small animal that, "If you want to cry, you should cry." He even volunteered his shoulder, for god's sake. Of course he was confused as to why he did it since he was never one to console and comfort people, but he had the urge to protect the frail-looking small animal in front of him since day one.

Tsuna just laughed, every bit like a banshee's cries hurting his ears, "I'm fine. Really."

"You look like you are going to cry any moment. Don't make me repeat myself, omnivore. You're acting like a herbivore now."

"I'm their boss. If I break down, who's going to support them?"

Hibari just gazed at him, wondering, _who is going to be left for you to support? They are all dying, and you are being left alone_ , but he didn't say anything.

Hibari left the conversation at that, because he knew that Tsunayoshi was strong despite his looks, and even if he's breaking bit by bit inside, Tsunayoshi would still be the person he always was.

* * *

Tsunayoshi had left him a letter. Hibari wondered if the omnivore had left everyone a letter.

He found an envelope lying in his room in the Foundation base. He didn't know how Tsuna had managed to put it there, but he really didn't want to know anyway, because it's Tsuna we are talking about here.

_Dear Kyoya,_

_If you are reading this letter, I am probably already gone._

_I apologize in advance for all the things I did which needed apologies. I am sorry that Ietsu and I pulled you into this plan - I'm sure you weren't exactly the happiest when we requested you to do so much. Then again, you were hardly a happy kid._

_But I digress - do people talk more rubbish when they are about to die? Perhaps._

_Nevertheless, thank you. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for tolerating my eccentricities even though I annoy you 99.9 percent of the time. I am so glad to have gone to the rooftop_ _in Namimori Middle School on a whim on that cloudy day, and met the carnivore who wanted to bite me to death._

_I am sorry for telling you I will be back, to have misled you into thinking that you will see me again. Even though I did come back, the one I met was only the past you._

_I am sorry for everything, even more sorry for not being there to apologize in person, and sorry for always seeing someone else in you._

_I wish you all the best, and please don't be sad or angry_ _._

_Tsuna_

_P.S. Take care of the Vongola, take care of yourself, and don't fight too much._

Hibari resisted the urge to crush the piece of paper and throw it into the bin.

That omnivore had expected everything from the start, calculated all the possible outcomes, including how he was going to sacrifice himself to save the world.

Saving the world…

Hibari scoffed. He didn't believe in _noble_. Yet Tsunayoshi was noble in every sense possible, believing in his own set of justice and values, and Hibari wondered if Tsunayoshi had smiled as he usually did on the verge of death.

* * *

Hibari was incredibly jealous of his past self sometimes, to be able to catch a glimpse of the brunet one last time.

Thinking back, Hibari wanted to call Tsuna a liar. However, Tsuna never did break his promises - he came back, but it was to the past Hibari, and the future Hibari never saw him again.

Hibari recalled Tsunayoshi's last smile before he left, the smile that tasted like farewell, forever engraved in his mind.

The slip of his hand from his grip, slick like water.

It was impossible to hold water anyway.

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi sacrificed himself to restore the whole world back to its original state, acting just like his herbivorous self.

He said everything was going to be alright.

Tsunayoshi revived everyone who was dead, and wished for the world's happiness, but as usual, he had forgotten about himself.

Everything was alright, but he wasn't there to see it anymore.

* * *

**Reborn**

"Welcome home."

Reborn maintained his burning gaze on Tsuna, his mind racing with all his emotions tangled up in his chest. "I'm back, Tsuna."

Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's couch, and Tsuna sat down beside him. A long silence hung in the room - Tsuna was still too surprised to speak, while Reborn was too immersed in his own thoughts to start a conversation.

Even if he did start, where to even begin? To Tsuna, only a few days had passed, but to Reborn, everything felt like an eternity. There were too many things to say, yet at the same time, too little words were able to be expressed.

Just seeing him again, hearing his voice, watching him smile, feeling his skin brushing against his, was enough to assure that yes, Tsuna was right there with him.

"I…" Tsuna started, after shaking himself out of his own daze.

"Tsuna." Reborn opened his mouth too, desiring to express his thoughts.

"Where have all of you been after disappearing - ow!" Tsuna abruptly stopped in the middle of his sentence and grabbed his head. Reborn heard a sharp intake of breath from Tsuna, which from his years of knowing Tsuna indicated that Tsuna was in pain.

"What happened?" Reborn inched closer as Tsuna curled himself into a foetus position, his head still covered by his hands. "Is your head hurting very badly?"

"No… memo- memories…" Tsuna hissed out. "... Future…"

Reborn's eyes widened with understanding. He reached out to pull Tsuna, "Lie down. You'll feel better."

Some minutes passed as Reborn accompanied Tsuna as he lay down on the couch to process the memories the Future Arcobaleno had sent.

"You guys… went through so much?" Tsuna finally said after he regained his bearings.

Reborn handed him a cup of water and replied, "Yes, it was a good learning opportunity for Ietsu."

"..." Tsuna took a sip of water after voicing his thanks, a little speechless to Reborn's response. "Well, if you think it that way…"

"I…" Tsuna held the cup in both his hands and stared hard at it, as if it held the script which could tell him what to say next, "It… it was a future that was supposed to happen, wasn't it?"

Reborn tilted his head. "Perhaps. However, for this kind of things, isn't it hard to say?"

"Do you think…" Tsuna paused and bit his lip, "...that your future self would blame my future self?"

Reborn kept silent.

"If this world's future went down the same path… you know I would do the same…" Tsuna's voice trailed off, his last few words nearly inaudible.

"He once told me," Reborn finally looked up to meet Tsuna's gaze and spoke, "He sacrificed himself so that the past him won't have to do the same."

Tsuna smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes, "He said that, didn't he."

"Isn't it too sad to think about that future?" Tsuna sat up straight. "Let's not… think about it further. What's past is past - or in this case, what's in the future is in the future." Tsuna chuckled a little at his own joke at the end.

Reborn nodded, "I'll be going first, then. Rest well and take care of yourself."

Tsuna smiled and said his farewells as he stood up to open the door for Reborn to leave.

"It won't happen again." Tsuna caught the murmured words as Reborn paused at the door. "I won't let it."

Before Tsuna could give a reply, Reborn was already gone and out of sight.

* * *

As he left Tsuna's house, Reborn was suddenly reminded of the time where they went star gazing on a nameless hill in the past, when Tsuna was like the groggy state as he was now after he had received the memories.

He still remembered how clear the night sky was, the moon wasn't out that day, so they could see the specks of light even better. The cold night breeze made Tsuna snuggle deeper into Reborn's arms.

"Reborn, why are we here again?"

Reborn gave Tsuna a look, but Tsuna probably couldn't see his expression clearly in the dark. "You were the one who wanted to come here."

Tsuna nodded. "Hmm, yeah, the stars are pretty here… Light pollution is a really horrible thing, no?"

Tsuna was getting a little incoherent with his thoughts, Reborn noted. Perhaps a sleepy and cold Tsuna wasn't a Tsuna in his best condition. "You should have brought more clothes."

"I thought if I was cold you could lend me your flames… who knows that you are so stingy…" Although it was dark and Tsuna's face was buried into his left arm, Reborn could imagine how Tsuna would be scrunching up his face as he said those words.

"But you're so warm… and soft and nice…" At this very moment, Reborn wondered if Tsuna was really sleepy or was he just drunk even without any intake of alcohol.

"Do you want to go back now?" Reborn inquired, preparing to get up and pull Tsuna along.

Tsuna stayed put on the grass and shook his head, "I thought we were going to spend the night here?"

Reborn shot him a sceptical look, "I highly doubt that you are able to survive the night."

"Hmm…" Tsuna suddenly pointed to a bright star in the sky. "Is that… is that Polaris?"

"Who knows," replied Reborn bluntly.

"The star that always points north…"

"Yes." Reborn stood up and tugged at Tsuna's arm in an attempt to pull him up.

"You know, there is this saying," Tsuna still remained sitting on the ground as he looked up to the standing Reborn, "That the stars will always guide you home."

When he said that, Reborn could somehow see Tsuna clearly as he uttered those words. Tsuna was smiling, and the starlight softened his features which made his smile seemed different from his usual ones. Reborn froze for a second as he slipped into a daze from watching Tsuna.

_When you are lost, you just have to look up at the sky, and the stars will guide you back to me._

* * *

Reborn returned to Tsuna's house at around midnight. Tsuna was probably tired and recharging from the eventful day.

Reborn managed to sneak into Tsuna's bedroom without any major commotion, thanks to his years of experience of being a hitman, and also the fact the Tsuna was probably too used to his presence to be alert when he comes near.

Reborn watched as Tsuna's chest rose and fell, the moonlight filtering through the window and lightening up the room.

He reached out his hand to stroke Tsuna's hair, but had to pause halfway when Tsuna suddenly tossed and turned.

Reborn frowned as he noticed that Tsuna was getting a little restless in his sleep. He finally gave into temptation and laid his hand on Tsuna's hair.

He sighed as Tsuna relaxed more.

Watching Tsuna sleep peacefully, Reborn allowed his own mind to wander. His thoughts inevitably landed on the future once more. Reborn lamented. There were so many words in the world, but none could convey what he felt.

Was there guilt? Regret? For the words he never said to the future Tsuna, for the hand he never reached out to pull Tsuna back.

The words he never said to Tsuna.

Reborn suddenly stopped his stroking of Tsuna's hair that he had started unconsciously. He had never actually said...

The future Tsuna had said that to him, but Reborn thought he had said it to the wrong person.

Reborn moved closer to Tsuna's face and bent down. His lips brushed past Tsuna's, the touch as light as a feather, gone like a dream before anyone could notice.

"Anche io ti amo."


	13. Chapter 13

**The Aftermath: Part II**

* * *

_"If one day you were given the chance to forget him so as to stop the pain, what would you do?"_

_"I would choose to forget him, but I'll just fall in love with him all over again."_

* * *

**Dino**

“Tch, Millefiore.” Dino appeared out of nowhere and kicked the last remaining enemy away from Tsuna, before huddling towards Tsuna and checking him for injuries from the sudden attack. “Are you okay, Tsuna?”

“Yes, thanks for coming.” Tsuna smiled as he kept his gun, and looked around Dino, “Where are your subordinates?”

Dino smiled back dreamily while being lost in Tsuna’s smile, “They went to other locations. We're going to meet up later.”

“...?!” Tsuna looked up, his eyes wide but he hid his skepticism well. Was Dino really going to be okay without his subordinates?

Tsuna stared at Dino further and then shrugged. He did seem fine fighting the people just now though.

“You know,” Dino suddenly spoke up while giving Tsuna an odd look, “Somehow I feel the same way fighting with you and fighting with my subordinates.”

Tsuna choked. “Excuse me?”

Was it a good thing? Should Tsuna be happy that he was as important to Dino as Dino’s subordinates were?

“Thanks,” Tsuna mumbled nonetheless, lost in his thoughts.

Dino didn’t seem to notice Tsuna’s discomfort as he laughed and swatted Tsuna's back to pull the latter closer, “What are you saying thank you for? Aren't we a family?”

 _Are we?!_ Last Tsuna checked, he was sure he didn't have any names under the relatives section on his fake birth certificate.

“Er, right.” Tsuna nodded, completely unconvinced, but it was enough to fool Dino.

Dino gave a bright smile before grabbing Tsuna’s hand, “Come on, let's go and meet up with the others at the base!”

Tsuna nodded and allowed himself to be pulled by the ever enthusiastic Dino.

* * *

— _Two years later_

Dino blinked in surprise as he got out of his black Mercedes. The orange flowers that entered his sight were not something he would have expected.

There was a huge field of orange flowers - probably roses, from Dino’s limited knowledge of flowers - to one side and a forest to the other side, and a group of people was gathered in the middle of flat grassland.

Dino walked towards them, with Romario closely behind. Ietsu was in the middle talking to some guardians, before noticing Dino and coming to greet him.

Dino nodded back in greeting, and Ietsu told him that the ceremony was starting soon, while thanking him for his patience.

Dino fell back as he watched Ietsu busied himself, talking to the attendees, organizing the people, before letting himself observe the surroundings.

There was a depression in the ground which was previously dug, the headstone was placed beforehand, and all that was left was to lower the coffin right into the hollow ground. The coffin was made from smooth black wood, with simple golden designs lining the sides.

This service was not a burial per se, when there was not even a body to bury. All they had was a simple coffin with Tsuna's clothes inside.

Ietsu finally called for everyone to gather and the usual rowdy group did so obediently without causing a ruckus.

Ietsu started his speech, thanked Tsuna for all the things he did, shared about their experiences and memories in the past, and there was a moment of silence before the coffin was lowered.

Dino took a look around. There weren’t that many people around, mostly the Arcobaleno, the Vongola guardians and other Vongola members.

Fuuta had tears flowing down his face; Lambo was close to crying but was biting his lips really hard with his face all scrunched up. For once, Yamamoto did not have an easy-going smile, nor did Mukuro have his usual smirk in place, and Kyoya was standing away from the crowd as usual in the distance (at least he didn’t start attacking everyone for crowding).

As for Xanxus – well, he looked as pissed off as ever.

Dino spotted Reborn in the crowd, and even though years have passed since first knowing him, Dino still hadn’t learnt how to read the expression on Reborn’s face. Or it was just that Reborn didn’t let his expression show on his face as usual.

Dino hesitated for a moment before going to him and greeting him. Reborn returned him a nod.

Dino opened his mouth to say something else but he stopped, as he suddenly realized that he didn’t know what to say to him. Finally he settled on, “Did you know, Reborn, that even without my subordinates, I can still fight when Tsuna's there? I never realized until Romario told me, and never really understood why until today.”

Reborn looked up but didn’t reply, and Dino took that as a cue to continue. “I guess I just wanted to protect him like how I want to protect Romario and the rest.

“I… I just wish he was happy – no, I would like to think that he _is_ happy – you know, he wasn’t really himself after all those things happening…” Dino gave a watery smile, “I’m glad, that he was able to protect those whom he wants to protect in the end…” _Even though, we were the ones who couldn’t protect the person we wanted to protect the most._

“Ah.” Reborn turned to Dino and finally responded, “I’m sure he is… I’m sure he will be happy.”

* * *

**Xanxus**

_That trash…_

Xanxus stared outside his window. The clear sky was bluer than usual as he squinted a little at the sunlight.

“Boss.” Squalo knocked on the door of the office.

“What, trash?” Xanxus turned his head to look at Squalo who entered right after he replied.

“It's time to go.”

…

Xanxus took another glance outside.

Squalo watched and waited for Xanxus’ response, while resisting the urge to tap his foot in impatience. If it were any other day, Squalo would have screamed and shouted until Xanxus threw a wine bottle at him, but today was unfortunately _not_ any other day.

There was a sudden movement that brought Squalo out of his thoughts as Xanxus stood up from his chair. “Let's go,” Xanxus said softly, to which Squalo blinked. Squalo tilted his head, trying to remember the last time the Boss sounded so soft and gentle, and shook his head when there was no recollection.

The Varia was always loud and noisy anyway, so if the Boss had spoken so softly he would never be heard.

(Whose fault do you think it is anyway, Squalo?)

Xanxus walked past him and out of the office door.

Squalo, used to this kind of cold treatment, followed him out the door to the main hall.  

The others were already waiting.

* * *

The funeral was a quiet affair.

It was especially so for the Varia. The usual loud and brash shouting disappeared, and only hushed and quiet voices were left.

Mammon disappeared somewhere and Xanxus didn’t care – he only knew because Squalo said Mammon went to find the rest of the Arcobaleno or something. Belphegor finally stopped his annoying laugh, and Lussuria stopped acting so… flamboyant.

Xanxus stared as the Bucking Horse approached the sun arcobaleno. The blond said something - Xanxus couldn't catch what he said from their distance - and the arcobaleno remained silent. They stood together for a little while more before the sun arcobaleno left the scene.

Xanxus frowned. The ceremony wasn't over yet and the Tenth Vongola trash was still saying something, even though half of the people there probably weren’t listening.

Squalo had been observing Xanxus and he knew where he was looking at. When Xanxus’ expression changed - with only a small, near-unnoticeable frown marring his forehead, but Squalo could recognize it immediately from the years he had been with him - Squalo immediately turned and saw Reborn leaving. At the same time, Squalo reached out and grabbed Xanxus’ sleeve. When Xanxus turned his attention to him, Squalo slightly shook his head.

Xanxus’ frown became slightly deeper, and Squalo nearly thought he was going to whip out his gun and shoot him right then and there, while screaming trash in the middle of the ceremony.

But he didn't.

Squalo removed his hand and watched as Xanxus’ eyes wandered a little, scanning the rest of the people at the ceremony, before landing on the black coffin in the middle.

Squalo let out an inaudible sigh. Tsuna's death sure took a toll on his Boss.

Finally the grueling ceremony ended, and none of the Varia wanted to stay any longer, but Xanxus stopped in his tracks when Squalo called out to him.

“Um, Boss?” Squalo waved something in his hand around, “There’s something for you… Apparently it was from Tsuna?”

Xanxus frowned and grabbed what seemed like an envelope from Squalo’s hands, and tore it open.

_Dear Xanxus,_

_Please don’t burn this paper. Well, not yet, at least. You can burn it all you want after you have read finish it. Actually never mind, this is not exactly important, you can burn it if you really want to._

_I’d admit I wasn’t the most pleased (neither were you) when I was tasked to babysi- I mean tutor you, but I am happy (I hope) to say that you’ve grown on me (like every other psychopath I’ve encountered) as time gone by and I was glad to have taken that job._

_I hope you didn’t think that I was on Ietsu’s side during the battle for the rings - I swear I wasn’t and I specified beforehand that I stood on neither side._

_I can’t say I’m proud to have you as a student, but I hope I was a good tutor in that you are proud to tell people I was the one who taught you. No, I’m kidding! I’m proud to have you as a student too, even if you did many stupid things in your teenage years, but who didn’t?_

_I would like to apologise for all the selfish things I did, for asking you to aid the Vongola even though you were reluctant (though I believe that you would help even if I didn’t tell you to), and possibly not considering your feelings most of the time. But life is full of regrets and I don’t want you to regret in the future, you see? Despite everything, your family is the one who will stay with you till the end._

_I just want you to put your frown away sometimes and enjoy your life as much as you can – be it throwing wine glasses, shouting at the rest of Varia, or calling people trash. Just try not to kill people you aren’t supposed to kill._

_Tell the rest of the Varia I love them too, and thank you for the trip I had with you guys._

_Love,_

_Tsunayoshi_

“Tch,” Xanxus crushed the paper and prepared to throw it away, before pausing mid-action and stuffing the crushed paper into his pockets. “… He really is trash.”

* * *

**TYL Reborn**

“Welcome back Reborn, but uh,” Ietsu scratched his head, “I hope you don’t mind that we were clearing up Tsuna’s belongings.”

Reborn shook his head, “It’s fine.”

“Ah you see, I think we found his diary in his room. We didn’t open it, I swear-” Ietsu held up his hands, “and we left it on the table in his room for now.”

“I see.”

Ietsu swallowed and continued, “Do you want to see it? Keep it as a memento or something?”

Reborn nodded his head, “Alright.”

“Right.” Ietsu replied, “Let me show you the room. There are not much left, but do tell me if there is anything you need.”

Once they reached Tsuna’s room, Ietsu opened the door. “I’ll leave you here then. Like I’ve said, tell us if you need anything!” Ietsu didn’t forget to repeat what he had just said.

Reborn nodded and entered the room.

Like what Ietsu had mentioned, the few things which were left were on the table. The first thing that caught his eyes was the notebook.

When he opened the book, a ring fell out, and Reborn knew what it was before he looked at it.

_Il cielo senza il solèe buio._

There was also an envelope neatly tucked between the pages, with Reborn’s name cursively written on the top of it. Reborn sighed before opening it.

_Dear Reborn,_

_As I write the first few words, I realised that I am at a loss as to how I should continue._

_I thought I would have many things to write, but when my pen touched the paper, suddenly everything in my mind disappeared._

_Perhaps it is because even though I want to say many things, there isn't really any need to voice them — for you understand me better than I do._

_Both of us… both of us went in seeing the end. Maybe that’s why we both knew nothing ever lasts._

_I just…_

_Do you still remember that summer in Italy? I suddenly remembered it… suddenly remembered the cold wind breeze against our face, the lazy afternoon sun, the smell of the blooming flowers._

_Do you remember we agreed to go there again someday? Because I do._

_The flowers from that year are probably already gone, but that’s okay. Spring comes and goes. Flowers bloom and flowers wither, but I’m sure next year they will bloom again._

_Let's go and watch the flowers bloom again someday._

The page ended there, and Reborn folded it back into half. As Reborn put the letter back into the envelope, however, another piece of paper fell out.

Even though it was of the same size as the previous letter, it was definitely blanker and emptier, with only one line at the top to fill the empty space.

Upon reading the words, Reborn's hand shook and held the paper with more force, crumbling the thin sheet as a result; his calm façade finally breaking.

Tsuna was one cruel person, thought Reborn as his grip loosened and the paper drifted down onto the floor.

Reborn walked out of the room soon after, leaving that piece of paper behind, lying on the ground.

If anyone picked it up, they would see the small but clear words written in Tsuna's handwriting.

_さようなら_ _._

* * *

“Wait, Reborn! I have something for you.” Bianchi stopped Reborn as he was leaving and passed him a ring. “We found this along with Tsuna’s clothes.”

Reborn looked up and took the ring from her outstretched hand.

The ring didn't change much from when he first bought it, except that the silver ring didn't shine as much as it used to and appeared to be a little tarnished. However, the engraved words could still be seen clearly.

_Il sole senza il cielo non ha una casa._

“Thank you.” Reborn finally looked up and put the ring inside his pocket - the sound of it clinking with another ring was nearly unnoticeable - before nodding at her and turning.

Bianchi watched as Reborn walked away, his back no less straight than when she first met him.

She still remembered the time they first met, where Reborn was so cool in his assassination during the job. That was probably the moment Bianchi realised she liked him, liked the way he smirked as he pulled the trigger, his black eyes glittering in the light.

Though, it was undeniable that Bianchi knew Reborn was never interested in her.

It was pretty much a joke, her being his lover thing. They were never together; Reborn just never cared when she clung onto him. He had never smiled at her, touched her, or even looked at her properly.

Reborn had a general air of uncaringness around him. So she wondered, what can make the greatest hitman in the world actually _care_?

The moment she laid eyes on Tsuna, she just knew. Maybe it was a woman's sixth sense. Maybe it was just the vibes Tsuna gave off.

Or maybe it was how Reborn looked at him. How he said his name, it rolling off his tongue so smoothly like he had said it for years. How he made it sound like he was _home_.

That was when she knew, Bianchi guessed. She could never surpass Sawada Tsunayoshi, not in Reborn’s world.

* * *

Ietsu was the one who took charge of Tsuna’s funeral, even though it was known that Tsuna was not affiliated to Vongola. Ietsu just wanted to thank Tsuna for everything he did for the Vongola and the world. At first Ietsu wanted to ask Reborn to make a eulogy of sorts during the ceremony, but Reborn rejected the offer without much thought.

Ietsu froze and immediately apologized, while mentally berating himself for being so insensitive - he had probably made the decision too hastily, and Reborn was probably not in the mood to talk about Tsuna at the moment.

Instead, to his utmost surprise, Reborn simply shook his head, “I'll probably ask him to go to hell… though he is likely to be already there for the horrible person he was,” was Reborn's reason.

Eight years of experience as a Mafia boss was the only thing that managed to stop Ietsu from gaping at the unexpected response.

“Alright,” Ietsu bit out. “Thanks anyway.” The last line was purely out of trained politeness.

Nevertheless, Reborn did, however, help to choose the place of burial.

When Ietsu arrived at the designated place along with all invited parties, he was surprised to see the beautiful view. It was on a hill, and it was amazing how no one ever knew about the place, with the orange flowers growing and blooming so well.

Ietsu blinked as he observed the flowers closer. It seemed like a trick on the eye, but he swore a tinge of yellow sun flames amongst the orange petals when the flowers swayed in the wind.

* * *

Tsuna’s funeral was planned to be a short and simple one, for the fact that he never bothered with this kind of things. If he were still here, he would tell them to just get over it and use the time and money for something else.

Reborn swore he could hear Skull’s annoying voice from miles away before the latter actually reached the destination. Skull was more whiny than usual, and Reborn was trying really, really hard to resist the urge to kick him right in the face.

Without them agreeing on anything beforehand, somehow the Arcobaleno managed to come together like it was a silent agreement. Perhaps it was because they all knew that Tsuna was different to them, as they knew him for the longest time and went through so many missions together, and Tsuna was the one who led them through all everything. He tied them onto chairs so the meetings could go on, forced them to work together, and pulled them out of life-and-death situations.  

He was their Sky.

No one said anything. No one needed to say anything. They all understood what Tsuna meant to them, and they all watched silently as the funeral proceeded.

Later Dino approached him, and when he mentioned how Tsuna was happy, Reborn wanted to laugh. Because from all his years of knowing Tsuna, he understood how Tsuna thinks, and he could tell that Tsuna was definitely happy. Because they were both so similarly selfish that they wished they were the one who died. Because they both knew it was harder to be the one living.

Reborn didn’t like to dwell in thoughts like these, and excused himself from Dino to leave early. He never saw the point of funerals anyway.

“Reborn.”

Reborn paused in the middle of his trudge through the forest when he heard someone calling him, turning around to find a familiar figure standing behind him. “Fon.”

Fon stared at him before stating, “He wouldn’t want you to grieve too much either.”

Reborn tilted his head, “How would you know?” _It seems that we have all forgotten that he was a natural sadist._

Fon looked at him in the eyes. “Because he was the first one who has been through all that himself, and he knows how it feels.”

Reborn smiled slightly because deep inside, he knew that too.

But it was easier said than done, wasn’t it? No one could be happy simply because others wished them to.

And Tsuna… knew that too.

* * *

The sky has gotten redder and darker, with the sun disappearing further down the horizon. Reborn was back at the grass patch before the roses, and everyone had probably already left the funeral site to go home.

The flowers swayed with the evening wind and even glowed a little in the darkness.

The headstone seemed a little lonely in the middle of this hill, so Reborn thought he should come back and stay with it for a little while more. He could only hope the flowers could keep it company when he was gone.

Reborn stood still in front of the headstone until the sky became completely dark, before bending down and digging a shallow hole. His dirtied fingers reached into his pockets to pull out his ring.

_Il sole senza il cielo non ha una casa._

The sun without the sky… Has no home to return to.

Without hesitating, he carefully placed the ring into the hole, and covered it with soil which was previously dug out.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Reborn felt as though something else was buried along with the ring, something heavy and probably important.

He shook his head. What was the point of holding onto them anyway? He was sure that Tsuna can take care of them somehow.

After that was done, Reborn ran his fingers over the words inscribed in gold, against the black marble stone.

Sawada Tsunayoshi.

'We are all sorry for the loss of a great man, and grateful for his sacrifice. May he rest in peace, and live forever in our hearts.'

Reborn laughed, the laughter bitter and hollow even in his own ears. So this was how Tsuna had felt when Reborn first left, wasn't it?

Perhaps it was karma, with the both of them now switching roles.

_It's okay, though. After all, I kept my promise._

Reborn leant his head against the cold, hard stone. The wind was getting a little chilly now. Reborn was brought back to the time where the both of them went stargazing, and Tsuna complained he was cold. Reborn had scoffed at him then, but now he finally understood how uncomfortable coldness could be.

It’s strange how the cold is slightly unbearable today, isn’t it? Reborn thought as he allowed his flames to burst through his fingers. His sun flames illuminated the whole grassland, with the light reflecting off the smooth surface of the stone and the words on it only appearing clearer.

_Now you won’t feel cold anymore… and I won't ever leave you again._

* * *

A few years later, Vongola rose up as one of the most powerful families once again.

In the field full of orange roses, another headstone was built beside the original one. Another empty grave, filled with only clothes.

Reborn.

'Till death do us part.'

A vow never spoken.

* * *

**A/N: Whew, I’m done. I must admit I teared up a few times, especially during the last parts because loneliness is somehow sadder than anything? D;**

**Yes yes for the previous chapter the Hibari’s part was OwO because torturing Hibari is now my pastime! I felt so sad for him though >.< Xanxus is just a tsundere (?)**

**I realised a lot of times I have a few words missing… Sorry but my brain thinks faster than I type and I never ask my sister to beta anymore :( Most of the time she’ll ignore me and she says normally there are not many mistakes anyway ==**

**Yikes it’s been so long since I’ve touched KHR and all of them became OOC (they were before too, yeah, but it got worse). Always take fanfics with a grain of salt!**

**I’m personally confused about which ring is which (it’s been too long) so um don’t sweat the details? Haha.**

* * *

**Omake** ― _The saddest word in the world_

On the rare occasion that all the Vongola guardians are in the same room together and are being relatively peaceful, the silence was interrupted by Yamamoto’s sudden question, “Say, what do you think is the saddest word in the world?”

“UNEXTREME!” Ryohei shouted before anyone registered what Yamamoto was saying, and everyone within 10 meters winced and covered their ears.

“No grapes.” Lambo sniffed. He hadn’t eaten anything grape-flavored for a week.

“That’s two words, stupid cow!” Gokudera gave Lambo a glare.

“Huh, what did you say, Ahodera?” Lambo stood up and prepared his grenades.

Yamamoto stood up too and stood in between them. “Maa, there’s no need to fight.”

“Stop crowding, or I’ll bite you to death.” Hibari took out his tonfas.

“Kufufufu, aren’t you crowding too, skylark?”

Then, all hell broke loose.

“Regret.” Amidst the chaos, Reborn spoke up suddenly, but was soon covered up by the fighting around him.

“What about you, Tsuna?” Ietsu turned to look at Tsuna who was comfortably nestled and nearly becoming one with the couch, clearly immune to the people around him already.  

“The saddest word in the world?” Tsuna looked up from his book, his eyes stared into space for a moment before focusing back on the group. “... It's goodbye.”


	14. Chapter XIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m skipping the Shimon arc. For those who ask for the translations -  
> さようなら = Sayonara, which means goodbye or farewell.  
> Il cielo senza il solèe buio. = The sky without the sun is dark.  
> Il sole senza il cielo non ha una casa. = The sun without the sky has no home.
> 
> I know I am irresponsible for leaving y'all hanging for so long and glad still so many are still reading. This story is ending soon, so stay with me for a while longer orz.   
> Previously: TYL Dino, TYL Xanxus, TYL Reborn

The Curse of the Rainbow Arc

* * *

 

_Unchanging sky. Unchanging sun. Unchanging nothing… Even if they don't look different, both the sky and sun do change. And so do we._

* * *

 

**Ietsuna**

Ietsu smiled as he finally managed to eat Nana’s home-made hamburger after returning from the future.

The other guys were in the house too, enjoying the quiet, peaceful time together and not to forget the awesome food Nana had prepared.

Ietsu turned his gaze to Reborn who was sitting beside Tsuna on the couch watching television while eating cookies. Lambo kept trying to squeeze in between them but Reborn kept kicking him away - until he was finally too impatient and used Leon to shoot him onto the nearby wall. Tsuna glared at Reborn who shrugged and pretended that nothing happened. Tsuna sighed, and continued to watch TV.

A smile crept onto Ietsu’s face as he found himself amused by the familiar and frequent scene which played before him. The three of them felt like parents with their child - or… it may be more appropriate to say a couple with their pet, because what kind of parent treats his child that way? _Ahhhhh_ , Ietsu frowned and shook his head to clear that thought, Reborn as a father will be a nightmare always haunting him.

Ietsu really admired Tsuna, not only as his position as the Sky Arcobaleno, but also for his ability to make Reborn (and the other Arcobaleno) listen to him. Reborn truly respects him as his boss and his partner. Ietsu still remembered the day Colonnello broke the news to him. Man, ain’t that a shock. He didn’t know Tsuna was so pedophilic. And when did they meet each other exactly? How horrifying.

Yet, as time went by, Ietsu could slowly understand why they were together. They were like soul mates and it was as if they could read each other’s mind, or could just communicate by having eye contact. This is probably what true love is like, Ietsu gathered.

Ietsu thought Reborn and Tsuna fitted, in a weird kind of way. When you met the two of them separately, you'd never be able to imagine them together, but once you saw them together, you can’t imagine them being apart.

He felt like he was going to go blind from watching the both of them interact every day, and as someone single he has a fragile heart. Reborn loved to cuddle on Tsuna’s lap, and constantly asked Tsuna to feed him. They eat from the same spoon… Does that count as an indirect kiss?

They go out on walks together, talk about things nobody but they could understand, and the worst part was how they look at each other and could understand what the other was trying to say without even talking. Not to mention the constant eye contact, and like they are wrapped in their own bubble and no one else can interrupt them.

However, it was only after Ietsu had gone to the future then did he know the importance of these new people who had unexpectedly entered his life without him even giving them permission to. Not only did he get to experience the disappearance of Reborn, he also felt the loss of Tsuna.

Tsuna always had a somewhat low presence in the group – he was utterly quiet compared to the rest – and he was often missing more often than not. Despite this, Ietsu bet everyone’s attention stayed on Tsuna the longest, especially Reborn, ehem, and everyone else too. Their gaze would sweep the group and land on Tsuna, because Tsuna somehow attracted attention in his own way. Tsuna did have all the attributes to being a Sky Arcobaleno, for he has the ability to make people follow him without question, and you can always trust him to be calm and collected in any situation.

He was a presence one could easily brush aside, but without him, the whole team would simply turn into a complete mess.

Ietsu could tell the difference of the people in the future. He remembered seeing the future Hibari: when Hibari trained him his smiles were filled with blood lust as ever… but his eyes never quite focused on him, like seeing through him to see someone else, and Ietsu knew who he was. There was only one person who was important to Hibari - despite him never admitting it - and only one person Ietsu bore a resemblance to.

Oftentimes Ietsu could feel that something was trying to break out of Hibari, as if he was always on the rush to go somewhere.

Even _the_ Reborn gets lost in thoughts sometimes during training, and Ietsu wondered what Reborn thinks about. It was as though he was in another world he would never reach.

The aftermath didn’t quite get through to Ietsu, since it wasn’t as clear as the real Future experience when Ietsu wasn’t physically there himself.

Still, there were glimpses of the funeral.

Perhaps it was the first time, the first time he came across a pain so raw in their eyes that Ietsu could feel his own heart clenching tightly.

And at that time, Ietsu thought, Hibari didn’t seem to be in a rush anymore.

* * *

**The Man with the Iron Hat**

_—The Nightmare_

“Who are you?” Tsuna stiffened and got up from his chair, watching the intruder with wary, “What do you want?”

A tall man walked out of the shadows, and Tsuna took a step back in surprise when he saw that he was wearing an iron mask. The man noticed his action and held up his hands in the air, “Relax, I’m not going to harm you. I’m just here to invite you to be part of the _I Prescelti Sette_.”

Tsuna’s brows furrowed, “I don’t understand what you’re saying, and I don’t trust anyone randomly appearing in my house and start spouting weird things.”

The man laughed, “You’re a funny one. Simply put, I am looking for the strongest seven, for a mission.”

“I don’t do missions, nor am I the strongest. Do you mind getting out of my home?” Tsuna crossed his arms before his chest.

“You’re too humble… We both know that your sky flames are the purest of everyone alive now. You are qualified to be one of them.”

“Oh, so it’s a mafia thing now?” Tsuna sighed, “I thought I have mentioned that I didn’t want to have anything to do with the mafia or the Vongola.”

The man twirled his stick before saying, “To be the most frank, you are one of the two candidates, the other one-” He dug a photo out of his coat pocket and passed it to Tsuna, “-is this lady here. Your choice.”

Tsuna took the photo and saw the lady smiling blissfully as she placed her hand on her pregnant belly, and his head shot up, “What are you getting at?”

“It’s you, or her.” The man shrugged, “Either one would suffice, but we all know you are stronger in terms of your flames. However, as you have so adequately reminded earlier, you do not want to be part of this. Still, I would like you to reconsider.”

“She’s part of the mafia,” Tsuna stated, unfazed. “Why should I care if she gets involved in _more_ mafia stuff?”

The man crossed his fingers together and leant on the cane, “How do I say it - it’s a little more than ‘mafia stuff’, and more on ‘the balance of the world’.” He stood up straight and walked back towards the shadows, “Trust your instincts, Tsunayoshi-kun, and do what you think is right. Maybe your visions will help a little with your decision. I await your affirmative response.”

Before Tsuna could reply, the man disappeared without a trace after bidding his farewell, leaving Tsuna alone in his living room.

Suddenly everything blurred and the memory faded, and Tsuna was standing in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by darkness, but he could see the faint outline of a man in front of him, with his distinctive hat and mask.

“What are you doing in my dreams?” Tsuna demanded.

“Well, I would say I have a proposal, but I would think your clairvoyance by now would have given you some hints,” The man answered.

Tsuna shook his head to clear his mind, “What exactly are you planning this time?”

The man did not answer his question, but instead, he replied with a question of his own.

“Do you regret it?” The man in the previous memory walked towards him, his cane clanking against the equally dark floor as he walked, the sound reverberating in the room.

“No,” Tsuna pressed his lips together and his brows knitted, “I don’t.”

“Hurh.” Even though Tsuna couldn’t see the face behind the iron mask, he knew the man was smirking at him mockingly.

* * *

 

“Tsuna,” Reborn knocked on the door of Tsuna’s house.

“Huh?” After a while, Tsuna opened the door, “You looking for me?”

“We are having a meeting at Ietsu’s room now.”

“Oh,” Tsuna nodded, “Okay. Let’s go, then.”

When they reached the room, Dino, Ietsu, Gokudera and Yamamoto were already in the room. “Yo, Tsuna!” Both Yamamoto and Ietsu greeted him as he entered the room.

“Morning, Tsuna.” Dino beamed, his eyes shining so bright that Tsuna had to squint his eyes a little from the glare.

Tsuna gave an uncomfortable – not that Dino could tell with his dense, love-muddled brain – smile back.

“Fake ten- I mean Tsuna-san…” Gokudera turned his head away, but Tsuna swore he could see the blush on his face.

“Pfff!” Tsuna burst out laughing, but courteously covered his mouth with his hand.

Gokudera shouted, “What are you laughing at, you imbec-” Suddenly he stopped and swallowed his words, but he couldn’t stop glaring at Tsuna.

After returning from the future, Gokudera’s attitude towards Tsuna took a 180 degrees turn, and insisted on adding a ‘-san’ to his name since Tsuna was of the same status as Reborn, but he always did it so begrudgingly that Tsuna couldn’t help but laugh at his efforts.

Even so, from the memories Tsuna gained, it had appeared that their relationship was much better as time went by, and Gokudera did respect him and they have worked together a few times. Still, Gokudera’s ingrained instinct at insulting people never did disappear.

“Maa, maa, settle down, aren’t we meeting here today for something important?” Yamamoto intervened.

“I don’t need you to tell me that, baseball idiot,” Gokudera rebutted, but he did quieten down after that.

Dino finally managed to tear his eyes away from Tsuna and asked, “Is it about the Arcobaleno, Reborn?”

“Yes,” Reborn affirmed, before looking at Tsuna, “Tsuna, do you have the dream about that man too?”

Tsuna nodded, “He met with you guys too?”

“He did. As I have explained to them earlier, the representatives are supposed to fight, and the one who won will get the curse removed. Have you found your representatives yet?”

Tsuna shook his head, “Not everyone has easy students like you.”

Reborn smirked, “Regardless, I would like you to be our ally. What does the rest of the team think?”

“Of course, it’ll be great if Tsuna were to join us! He’s really strong.” Ietsu was the first to speak up, and Yamamoto agreed.

“Can I hold his hand now that we are allies?” Dino spoke up too, and then was definitely ignored, but some peopled did glare at him.

“Tch.” Gokudera crossed his arms but didn’t say anything, and everyone took it as a yes.

“Hmm,” Tsuna didn’t agree immediately, “I’d have to see who my representative is first, but I’ll probably agree.”

* * *

 

“Tsunayoshi-”

Tsuna looked up from his book only to find Hibari had once again jumped through the window into his house.

However, Hibari stood one meter away and whipped his tonfas out. “What is he doing here?”

“Hmm?” Tsuna tilted his head and looked down to where he was glaring at, “Oh, don’t mind him.”

“Tsunayoshi-kun~” The white-haired guy in question stopped gorging himself with marshmallows to pout at him, his fluffy white head resting on Tsuna’s lap.

“Tsuna.” Fon jumped through the window a few minutes behind Hibari.

“Fon,” Tsuna greeted the newcomer, before asking, “Why does everyone like to come through the window? I have a door for a reason you know.”

“Omnivore, get away from that marshmallow idiot.” Hibari gritted out.

“Seems like you’re too late, Kyoya, Tsuna’s already got his representative.” Fon shrugged.

“Tsu-chan is mine!” Byakuran stuck out his tongue.

“You-!” Hibari moved forward to strike him, but Tsuna stopped him.

“Chill, Kyoya, just ignore him and he’ll stop.” Tsuna grabbed Hibari’s tonfa. “So why were you finding me?”

Fon replied, “Well, I wanted to ask him to be my representative, and Kyoya wanted to come and find you first, whether to be your only representative or your ally.”

“Hmph, I didn’t.”

 Fon ignored Hibari, “Well it seems like you already have yours, so Kyoya you can only be mine now. Speaking of which, do you want to be allies?”

“No way!” Byakuran said, “We are already allied with Reborn’s team and I don’t need another person to share Tsunayoshi-kun with!”

“No, I’ve gotten enough of crowding.” Hibari left by jumping out of the window.

Fon looked at Tsuna, “There’s that. See you, Tsuna.”

Tsuna smiled and waved, “See you later! Sorry about that.”

With that, Fon left too.

“Tsunayoshi-kun, now that we are alone… I can finally have you all to myself!” Byakuran grabbed onto Tsuna's waist. 

“Kufufu…”

Byakuran looked over Tsuna when he heard the foreboding laughter, and the first thing he saw was a pineapple-like thing.

Tsuna, on the other hand, had caught sight of them already, and raised his eyebrows, “Mukuro… and Verde? That's a pairing I never thought I'd see.”

“Well, never thought I'd see you with your murderer either,” Verde replied.

Byakuran hissed at Verde’s words, but Tsuna just laughed and patted his head. “Don't be like that, Verde. We’ve got to give second chances, right?”

Verde shrugged in response, and asked, “Are you allying with Reborn?”

“Tsunayoshi-kun would be a strong ally to have,” Mukuro piped in.

Before Tsuna could reply, Byakuran butted in, “No more allies! I only agreed to ally with Ietsuna-kun because he'll be useful.” He sniffed and continued, “Tsunayoshi is mine, stop snatching him away from me! I don't want to share him with anyone else, especially with a pineapple.”

“Kufufu,” Mukuro’s trident materialized in his hand, “You think you can keep Tsunayoshi-kun all to yourself? How naive! He's not even yours to begin with.”

“Ehem,” Tsuna coughed, “I'm still here, you know.”

“Regardless, it seems like we can't ally with you anymore, Tsuna.” Verde raised his chin towards the two fighting beside them. “Though you should know that all the Arcobaleno are happy to team up with you, which is an amazing feat for all of us.”

Tsuna gave a bright smile, “Thanks for telling me that. Removing the curse is more important to you guys than it is to me, so I'm okay with anything.”

With that, the two of them left Tsuna’s house, not before Mukuro left them with a declaration of war, “Be careful on the battlefield, marshmallow, you might just get attacked from the back. Tsuna, too.” Mukuro grinned at Tsuna for the last two words, to which Tsuna simply smiled back.

“I hope those guys can stop coming and bothering us during our alone time,” Byakuran pouted, but that was a futile dream.

The next time they went out together, Tsuna and Byakuran met the Varia.

The Varia all greeted Tsuna, but stopped in their tracks when they saw who was with him.

“VOI! Why is this white-haired bastard with you, Tsuna?” Squalo shouted as he took out his sword.

“Ushishishi,” A knife appeared between Belphegor’s teeth, “Are you being held hostage?”

Lussuria laughed, “Have more faith in Tsuna! Maybe they are engaged in a love-hate relationship? … Ow! Boss! What's that for?”

Lussuria felt something hit his head and before he knew it, his hair was covered in glass shards and red wine. Xanxus just gave a dispassionate face in return.

“My beautiful hair…” Lussuria mumbled as he painstakingly picked out all the pieces in his hair.

Mammon ignored them and floated to Tsuna, “Have you found an ally yet?”

Tsuna nodded, “With Ietsu and Reborn.”

Mammon rolled his eyes even though his eyes can't be seen under his hood and said, “Can the two of you stop acting like your world only has each other?”

Tsuna choked and gave a baffled look, “Excuse me?”

Mammon shrugged, “We seriously anticipated that the both of you will form a group first, and we're right.”

Tsuna scratched his head, “I guess that's the benefit of us living next to each other? He did ask me first.”

“What he said is true,” Byakuran muttered under his breath. “You're always so biased towards Reborn.”

Tsuna flicked his finger against Byakuran’s forehead, “What are you talking about? You're the one who were so eager to team up with them too.”

Byakuran's crossed his arms, “That was simply based on the fact that Ietsuna-kun has the most potential out of them all. Your decision, on the other hand, was based on the fact that…”

“Whatever you say, Byakuran.” Tsuna rolled his eyes. “So how's your preparation going, Mammon? I guess Xanxus agreed?” Tsuna turned to look and smile at Xanxus.

Mammon blinked and nodded, “Boss is quite alright with this, surprisingly.” Secretly though, what Mammon was thinking was actually _‘Boss probably just wants the excuse to see you again.’_ But he wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Alright,” Tsuna waved goodbye at them, “See you guys, and I'm sure it'll be very soon.”

The Varia too said their farewells, except Xanxus who was having a glaring match with Byakuran. In the end, Tsuna had to pull the both of them apart and drag Byakuran away.

The next one who appeared was Skull.

Upon knowing who Tsuna chose to team up with, he exclaimed - or more accurately - whined, “Tsuna, I knew it! How could you team up with Reborn?”

“Sorry?”

Skull jumped up and shook Tsuna, “I thought we were best buddies! And Reborn is _not_ included.”

“Hahaha… sorry, Skull.”

“Hmph.”

“Who wants to team up with you, you horribly squeaky baby?” Byakuran popped out from Tsuna’s side. “Tsunayoshi-kun just needs me.”

“Who are you to say?” Skull placed his hands on his waist, “Tsuna~ your representative bullied me.”

Tsuna reached down to rub Skull’s head, or rather, his helmet, “Just ignore him. See you soon, eh?”

“Tsuna~” Skull crossed his arms, “That Reborn probably wouldn't let me team up with you. I don't want to be allies of his ally either!”

Tsuna laughed, “Whatever you say, Skull.”

“See you on the battlefield! The great Skull won't go easy on you just because you're Tsuna!”

Tsuna laughed harder this time, and could only wave as Skull walked away.

Byakuran grabbed onto Tsuna’s arm as they watched him leave and commented, “Aren't they all just so annoying?”

* * *

 

_—The Second Day of Representative Battle of the Rainbow_

Team Reborn and Team Tsuna were in the mansion that Byakuran rented, sitting around the round table.

“Tea, anyone?” Tsuna put his hands on the table and asked.

The tea set was on the middle of the table and Tsuna proceeded to pour tea into fine China cups for everyone.

“How about eating the marshmallow Bluebell bought?” Byakuran appeared with an armful of marshmallow packets.

The rest of the people stared at the smiling Byakuran and shook their heads.

Ietsu blinked, “I’d never thought we'd see Byakuran so… innocently - is that the word? - offering us something to eat, albeit it's just marshmallows.” Ietsu tilted his head as he tried to recall, “Actually, why do I have an inkling of a feeling that he did the same thing before?”

Before anyone could reply, a sudden loud “BEEEPPP!” made them jump in their seats.

“1 minute until battle commences!”

“We have to get ready!” Ietsu stood up while pushing his chair back rapidly, earning him a sharp screeching noise as the chair rubbed against the floor.

Reborn frowned and looked to Tsuna, “It’s Team Verde, isn’t it?”

Tsuna shrugged but nodded.

Byakuran grabbed some marshmallow and stuffed into his mouth before declaring in a muffled and unclear manner, “Don’t wowwy, Tsuna! I’ll prodect youwu!”

As everyone rushed to their positions, Tsuna continued to sit opposite across Reborn and sipped his tea, but not forgetting to wish the others luck. “Be careful, everyone. Reborn and I will stay here.”

They nodded and filed out of the room, leaving Reborn and Tsuna alone at the table.

Tsuna tapped his finger against the table, “Two teams will fall tonight. I hope it’s not yours.”

Reborn smirked, “You can’t tell who will be defeated?”

“If I can see everything about the future, life wouldn’t be fun anymore would it?” Tsuna looked at Reborn from the side of his eyes as he rested his chin on his right hand.

“It wouldn’t, would it?” Reborn returned with an unfathomable smile and looked down, his fedora covering his eyes, before raising his head back up and stared straight into Tsuna’s eyes, “Do you know anything? About this whole representative battle? Despite what you have just said, clairvoyance is still your special talent, after all.”

Tsuna held his stare for a moment, before letting his eyelids fluttered down as he stared at the table and pressed his lips together. “I'm not sure, it is as if I'm watching a broken movie tape, but I do feel uneasy.”

“You know when you lie or when you're hiding something, you make sure your eyes don't show.” Reborn told him. “That is because we both know that the eyes more often than not tell the truth and they seldom lie, so to make a convincing lie it is best to hide your eyes.”

“Maybe,” Tsuna laughed, “Don’t make me sound so bad at lying. Perhaps it is just difficult for me to lie to you, you know?”

Reborn dipped his head in acknowledgement, but went back on track.

“Do you know something we don't again?” Reborn raised his eyebrow.

Tsuna rubbed the rim of his cup and replied flatly, “You think too highly of me.”

Reborn shook his head, “You know I don't.”

“...” Tsuna’s face clearly gave a look that said ‘I don’t understand why we are having this conversation when we are obviously not on the same frequency’.

“What, is it something you can't tell us? Or something inevitable? Or for the greater good? Hah.” Reborn’s voice rose a little in loudness, yet it was deeper than his usual squeaky voice.

Tsuna scrunched his eyebrows together. “Reborn.”

“I know, you have your own difficulties.” Reborn crossed his fingers on the table. “But you can't tell us?”

Reborn continued without giving Tsuna a chance to interrupt, not that Tsuna wanted to anyway, “Just like last time - you knew… you knew all along, but you pretended you never did.” _You weren't even surprised when we turned into Arcobaleno._

Tsuna turned his head away. “We couldn't have changed it anyway.”

_We couldn't have run away. We are destined to protect the pacifiers._

Reborn’s fist tightened on the table. “You know what kind of person I am. I don't need fate to dictate what I have to do.”

“Yes, yes. You were the greatest hitman,” Tsuna’s head jerked up, “But I wasn’t. I was a coward. I didn’t even understand why I had to be part of the greatest seven at all! I never-”

“The greatest seven? More like the greatest jokes of all.” Reborn laughed.

Tsuna glared at him.

Reborn shook his head, “Still, I'd admit those days we had together were great. Fulfilling and rewarding missions, meeting you… but at what price? It was simply a trap.”

“...” Tsuna pursed his lips, but he knew he could say nothing to reply to Reborn.

“BOOM!” A sudden loud attack stopped them in their tracks, and they knew it was time they ended their heart to heart talk, not that it was going anywhere anyway.

Tsuna looked up and watched the roof trembled above them. “What’s that sound?” He stood up and walked towards the door. “I'll go outside and look. You?”

Reborn nodded in response.

They quickly ran out of the mansion to meet up with the other people fighting outside.

“Was that… Colonnello’s shot?” Tsuna looked around the ruins and rumbles as he stepped out, noticing the unmistakable blue flames around each damage, before walking towards the rest of the team. “Are you guys alright?”

Ietsu nodded and frowned, “That team wants to attack our ally team too! How could he? I can’t let my dad hit one of my allies, even though he is an ally!”

Tsuna squinted in the distance, “Actually, there’s something I’d like to say. Reborn, it’s best that your team doesn’t lose.”

Byakuran clenched his fist beside Tsuna as he stood beside him, and he disregarded the gaping wound in his hand. “Is that your final decision, Tsunayoshi?”

Tsuna opened his mouth to reply, but Ietsu cut in, “They’re having a second shot. Everyone, take cover!”

Tsuna’s eyes widened as he watched the shot come closer and closer. “He’s aiming for Ietsu! There’s no time-” Tsuna dug his nails into his wrist below the watch.

At the corner of his eyes, he could see a white shadow flying in front of him.

Before Tsuna could give himself more time to think, the shout “Present please!” left his throat. A wall of orange flames appeared before them and neutralizing the blue flames aiming at them.

“Argh.” Colonnello grunted from the cliff as he saw the dome made of sky flames appearing in the distance. “I can't beat him with this.”

Iemitsu laughed. “I guess we didn't see it coming.”

“Sneak attack, failed, kora.”

Lal shook her head. “It's the Vongola hyper intuition, I’d bet.”

“We should have allied with Tsuna.”  Colonnello said.

“We wouldn't want to ally with Byakuran and he doesn't want to do that with us either remember.” Lal reminded him.

“Fine, kora.” Colonnello fiddled with his watch and ended his curse release time.

“Let’s check our targets again,” Colonnello placed his binoculars in front and focused on the two teams in the distance.

“Oh my! I can't believe I got Byakuran kora!” Colonnello exclaimed. “Did Tsuna deteriorate?”

“It's just a fluke,” Lal shrugged it off. “He probably doesn't care enough.”

“Hey, kora!” Colonnello threw the binoculars onto the ground.

“What?” Lal looked over to Colonnello, “Are you saying that you can win him in a fight?”

“...” Colonnello crossed his arms and turned his head away from Lal. “I didn't say anything, kora!”

On the other end, the people weren’t as peaceful.

“Byakuran!” Tsuna rushed towards Byakuran.

“Tsunayoshi!” Byakuran called, lying on the ground.

“Why did you do that?” Tsuna frowned as he checked his injuries. Despite his wall of sky flames, Byakuran was still slightly hurt. “Are you alright, Byakuran?”

“Un.” Byakuran nodded like an overgrown puppy and tilted his head, “Because you said it’s more important for Ietsu’s team to stay! And your wish is my command Tsunayoshi~” He then looked down guiltily and pouted, “I'm sorry, the watch got broken though.”

Tsuna smiled ruffled his white hair, “It's fine, this battle didn't mean anything to me anyway. I'm just glad you're safe.”

“Awww! Tsunayoshi I love you too!” Byakuran grabbed onto Tsuna’s waist.

Tsuna simply shook him off.

“Ahhh~ and you were _so_ cool, Tsu-chan. Did you see that wall? I haven’t seen such pure flames, especially not such pure Sky flames, for a long while.”

“Hurh.” Tsuna pretended not to hear.

* * *

 

**Omake #0.5**

Reborn crossed his arms in the distance and tapped his feet while Byakuran and Tsuna ‘hugged it out’, twirling his gun in his hand. “Need one more shot, marshmallow head?”

* * *

 

Confession: I probably spend more time writing omake than the actual story but oh well. Enjoy my cold, dry and dead humor OTZ.

**Omake #1**

Lambo, adult Reborn and adult Tsuna went out for a walk.

Lambo was as usual, super clingy to Tsuna and Tsuna had no choice but to carry him.

Reborn decided to grab Tsuna’s shoulders as a declaration to show who’s boss.

From afar, they looked like a happy family, but Reborn was trying to pry Lambo off with his hand hidden from public view.

“My son would never be this way,” Reborn would scoff, “Tsuna’s and my son will be the cutest, smartest, most handsome and perfect son ever, not like this piece of cow dung that is dirtying Tsuna’s clothes.” Reborn turned to look at said cow dung with disdain and tried to remove him.

Lambo immediately protested at the insults, and took out grenades to throw at Reborn. “How dare you be so rude to Lambo-sama! You should be honoured to be Lambo-sama’s father!”

Tsuna laughed before his face blanked out, “Wait… Who’s the mother? Who would want to have kids with you, Reborn?!”

Reborn: _(:з」∠)_ “Let’s have kids, Tsuna.”

* * *

**Omake #2**

“Tsunayoshi-sama.” Kikyo said.

Reborn raised an eyebrow at the address.

Tsuna smiled.

“What?” Bluebell huffed after noticing Reborn’s action, “He's our Boss Lady.”

Tsuna’s smile turned a little nervous.

“Hmm. Boss lady, you say?” Reborn eyebrow rose higher.

“...”

Cold sweat was seen rolling down Tsuna's face.

A smile appeared on Reborn’s face.

Byakuran came in to save the day - by wrapping an arm around Tsuna's shoulder and gave a foxy grin - or not.

Reborn unlocked and cocked his gun and then…

… There's no and then.

* * *

**#Omake 2.5**

Reborn: I heard you and Byakuran met in dreams.

Tsuna: *backed away* Er…

Reborn: *takes a step closer* Why are you moving away? I just wanted to say that is very romantic.

Tsuna: Don’t get the wrong idea-

Reborn: *inches closer until their faces nearly touched* How. Very. Romantic.

* _beeeppp_ *

The rest is censored cause um, they went to do more romantic stuff. HAHA.

I’m sorry.

* * *

 

**Omake #3**

**Byakuran vs Reborn** … _3, 2, 1, START!_

“Tsu-chan is mine!” Byakuran grabbed Tsuna’s right arm and pulled.

“Don’t call me Tsu-chan,” Tsuna frowned.

Reborn, on the other hand (no pun intended), latched onto Tsuna’s left arm and pulled even harder. “He’s not yours, and never will be. Those who touch my things in the past are all **_TEN_** _FEET UNDER_ now.”

“He’s mine!” Pull.

“Mine!” Pull.

“Mine!” Pull.

…

“STOP PULLING ME!” Tsuna finally snapped and pushed them all away. “I’m nobody’s possession but my own person! Now get out of my sight!”

The two immediately stopped and pulled back their hands, and watched sheepishly as Tsuna stomped away.

#K.O.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I've basically just turned Byakuran into a dog I apologize for that.
> 
> #Every chapter I’ve got to abuse Hibari HAHAHAH. He was rushing… to save Tsuna, but after that, Tsuna didn’t need to be saved anymore. HAHA omg I just killed myself LOL.
> 
> Great and I love 10027 so I’ll spam it. And I did.
> 
> Aye once again thanking everyone who reads this story, especially the reviewers cause every time I think I'll write this later, I'll see a review coming in and I'll be like oops ok I'll start writing hahah. Guilt tripping is super effective. This story has been through much with me and when I'm depressed I feel better writing this because there's a sense of satisfaction after successfully torturing the characters (and perhaps the readers). I'd also thank my depressing life because really, without it I can't possibly know how to write angst. For those who cried, thanks for telling me, I probably need a story when the character absorbs all negative emotions to survive. Jk. No, I'm just happy someone is crying with me.
> 
> This story should be ending in two chapters. This chapter is pretty filler lol I love the ending of the last chapter of this story and yes I've written it since the start of writing this story and hahah they're cute.


End file.
